my favorite recipe
Miso Pork Lechón Ramen
To make the broth**, clean
Makes approximately 30 servings
the bones under cold running
Chef’s note: Make the Dashi first and refrigerate it overnight.
6 lbs. chicken bones 2 lbs. pork bones 1 lb. chicken wings
and wings for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bones become white. Don’t do this for too long as you may lose the umami flavor. This process is very important to
6 oz. ginger, sliced
clean the bones further. Drain
2 bulbs garlic, cut in half
the bones and wings. Discard
2 Spanish onions, cut into quarters
In a large pot, place the bones
the poaching water.
3 ea. lemongrass, split in half each
and chicken wings along with
300 ml. sake
the scallions, ginger, garlic, Span-
2 c. white miso paste Fresh ramen noodles* Roasted pork leg (your own recipe; or see Chef Beni’s recipe at elrestaurante.com)
ChinaLatina
remains. Now poach the bones
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 c. red miso paste
CHEF BENI VELAZQUEZ
water carefully so that no blood
The Dashi: 1 lb. kelp 2 c. bonito flakes 2 c. dried shiitake mushrooms Place the kelp, bonito flakes and dried shiitake mushrooms whole
ish onions, lemongrass and sake. Fill with cold water to cover the bones, bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer gently for 3 hours, skimming the scum off the top occasionally throughout the 3 hours. Now add the Dashi and the misos to the broth and continue slow cooking for another 2 hours. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh colander.
in a large jar filled with water,
To serve: Heat fresh ramen
FUSION FARE AND RAMEN HAVE BEEN HEATING UP THE FOOD SCENE
close the lid, and refrigerate
noodles for only a few minutes,
for quite some time. Now, the two trends collide at ChinaLa-
overnight.
careful not to overcook. Place
tina in Las Vegas, where chef/restaurateur Beni Velazquez has
The Toppings:
been dishing up his unique Pan-Latin cuisine since opening
Jicama slaw seasoned with a
the restaurant in December 2019.
mojo citrus dressing, chili flakes,
“I am self-taught, and through my travels I have picked
green onion, roasted dried red
up many techniques,” explains Velazquez, who often jokes
peppers, sesame oil, salt mix and
people will be hard-pressed to find anything like what he has
black sesame seeds
created because everything comes from his culinary imagi-
Roasted pork, sliced, along with strips of crispy fried pork fat
nation and his affinity for coloring slightly outside the lines. Puerto Rican descent is his Miso Pork Lechón Ramen featur-
2-in. piece of hot street corn on the cob topped with mojo mayo, tajin, and queso blanco
ing miso-flavored pork and chicken broth, lechon, noodles,
House-made ginger soy crema
jicama slaw, street corn, cotija cheese and green onions—a
Sprinkle of furikaki
dish that’s a favorite at ChinaLatina.
Green onion
One of the culinary creations from this creative chef of
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el restaurante | OCT/NOV/DEC 2020
the hot noodles in a large soup bowl, then pour the hot broth to fill. Top with the selection of toppings listed above. *Velazquez uses noodles freshly made and sold in China Town that have to be refrigerated. If you can’t make your own, he says to use fresh noodles with no preservatives. **Can be kept hot during service, cooled and portioned for later use, or kept frozen for two months and used as needed.
