Ramen with Fennel Stock and Thai Basil
We made the fennel stock (pressure cooked) back in November and froze it.
Fennel Stock
1 fennel bulb (tops only, save bulb for another use)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground fennel seeds (optional)
8 cups of water
In a pressure cooker, add the roughly chopped the fennel tops (and the ground fennel seeds if using) and saute with 1 tsp of olive oil for a few minutes until the tops are wilted. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Put the lid on and wait until the pressure cooker reaches 15psi (your model may vary) reduce the heat to keep an even pressure and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for few minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve. If not using immediately, let come to room temp and refrigerate.
It's not at all salty at this point, but that's what you want... you can always add it when the soup is being seasoned. We usually add a small bit of kombu while the broth is heating up.
The rest of bowl is rounded out with carrots, tofu, mushrooms, Chile Eggplant Sofrito and we steamed/seared some baby bok choy to finish, and topped with Thai Basil.