MY FAVORITE RECIPE—ChinaLatina’s Miso

CHEF BENI VELAZQUEZ ChinaLatina

FUSION FARE AND RAMEN HAVE BEEN HEATING UP THE FOOD SCENE

for quite some time. Now, the two trends collide at ChinaLatina in Las Vegas, where chef/restaurateur Beni Velazquez has been dishing up his unique Pan-Latin cuisine since opening the restaurant in December 2019.

“I am self-taught, and through my travels I have picked up many techniques,” explains Velazquez, who often jokes people will be hard-pressed to find anything like what he has created because everything comes from his culinary imagination and his affinity for coloring slightly outside the lines.

One of the culinary creations from this creative chef of Puerto Rican descent is his Miso Pork Lechón Ramen featuring miso-flavored pork and chicken broth, lechon, noodles, jicama slaw, street corn, cotija cheese and green onions—a dish that’s a favorite at ChinaLatina. Miso Pork Lechón Ramen Makes approximately 30 servings

Chef’s note: Make the Dashi frst and refrigerate it overnight. 6 lbs. chicken bones

2 lbs. pork bones 1 lb. chicken wings 1 bunch scallions, chopped 6 oz. ginger, sliced 2 bulbs garlic, cut in half 2 Spanish onions, cut into quarters 3 ea. lemongrass, split in half each 300 ml. sake

3 c. red miso paste 2 c. white miso paste Fresh ramen noodles*

Roasted pork leg (your own recipe; or see Chef Beni’s recipe at elrestaurante.com)

The Dashi: 1 lb. kelp 2 c. bonito fakes

2 c. dried shiitake mushrooms

Place the kelp, bonito fakes and dried shiitake mushrooms whole in a large jar flled with water, close the lid, and refrigerate overnight.

The Toppings:

Jicama slaw seasoned with a mojo citrus dressing, chili fakes, green onion, roasted dried red peppers, sesame oil, salt mix and black sesame seeds Roasted pork, sliced, along with strips of crispy fried pork fat 2-in. piece of hot street corn on the cob topped with mojo mayo, tajin, and queso blanco House-made ginger soy crema Sprinkle of furikaki Green onion To make the broth**, clean the bones under cold running water carefully so that no blood remains. Now poach the bones 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 favor. This process is very important to clean the bones further. Drain the bones and wings. Discard the poaching water.

In a large pot, place the bones and chicken wings along with the scallions, ginger, garlic, Spanish 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 of 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 fne mesh colander.

To serve: Heat fresh ramen noodles for only a few minutes, careful not to overcook. Place the hot noodles in a large soup bowl, then pour the hot broth to fll. 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.