Trini Breakfast Ramen is Impressive

Trinidad and Tobago’s national cricketer Ravi Rampaul not only bowls and bats, but the man cooks too, allyuh! His sons, Raul and Riley, with his help, prepared this beautiful Trini breakfast ramen for their mother on Mother’s Day — and you can, too!

Whether you’re letting your mom sleep late or treating her to an early-morning breakfast in bed, this dish is all she could ever wish for. Simmone Edwin, one of our resident chefs at Propa Eats, is famous for fusing international influences with the foods and flavours we love most locally. In this episode of Community Kitchen, she takes inspiration from Japan and creates the ultimate Trini breakfast ramen. Her masterpiece is made up of tomato choka broth, curried deviled eggs and geera-and-cinnamon-spiced bacon. Are you drooling yet? Because we are.

Ingredients

For the tomato choka broth:

• 4 pounds tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pimento, minced
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Maggi Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon ground geera
• 1 pack Maggi Coconut Milk Powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 Maggi Chicken Stock Bouillon Cube

For the curried deviled eggs:

• 6 eggs
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground geera
• 1/4 teaspoon amchar marsala
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Prepare your noodles. Boil the soba or ramen noodles, according to the instructions on the packet. Strain and set aside.
2. Roast your tomatoes. Set your oven at 350°F. Without cutting through the tomato, slice the surface once crosswise and once lengthwise to create an “X” on the surface. Arrange the tomatoes in a heat-proof dish or on a baking sheet cut sides up. Roast for 20 minutes or until slightly soft.
3. In the meantime, boil your eggs. Place a pot filled with water and lime juice over high heat and bring to a boil. (A cooking hack from Chef Simmy: The acidity from lime juice makes it easier for you to peel.)
4. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the eggs, turn off the heat and cover with the lid. Allow them to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes.
5. Now, chunkay the base of your broth. Mix 1 pack of Maggi Coconut Milk Powder with 2 cups water. Crush the 1 Maggi Chicken Stock Bouillon Cube over the mixture, whisk until completely combined and set aside.
6. Add the oil to a pot set over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, pimentos and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the curry and geera powder, sauté for 30 seconds or until it burns a bit.
7. Pour you coconut milk mixture in and bring to a boil. Set to simmer.
8. Peel your tomatoes. By now, your tomatoes should be perfectly soft. Remove them from the oven and peel, but they’ll very hot so be extra careful. To make it easier, press the side of your knife or a spoon onto the top of the tomato and use your finger to peel back the skin. Place everything but the skin into the broth and combine with a fork.
9. Bake your spiced bacon. Set the oven to 400°F.
10. Arrange the bacon on a baking sheet, making sure no slices overlap. Sprinkle with geera and cinnamon.
11. Bake for roughly 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy. Flip halfway through (don’t worry — we’ll remind you!). Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it. 
12. Peel the eggs. Drain the eggs, crack the shells and carefully peel under cool running water.
13. Prepare your deviled eggs filling. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and gently squeeze the whites to remove the yolks. Transfer the yolks to a medium bowl and place the whites on a plate, cut-side up.
14. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork, or a whisk. Add mayonnaise, mustard, geera powder, amchar masala, salt, and pepper, and mix well. You can switch up the measurements to suit your tastes but the trick is to start with a small amounts of mayonnaise and mustard — just enough till it gets smooth. It cannot be too runny; you want it to sit firmly in the cavities of your egg whites.
15. Pause and flip your bacon! By now, 10 minutes have passed. Check on your bacon and flip it so both sides get a lil bun bun. Stick it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
16. Transfer the filling to a plastic bag or piping bag. Use a spatula or spoon to scoop all the filling into of a sandwich bag or piping bag, fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Press the bag with your hands to push all the filling to one corner and press any air out of the top. If using a plastic bag, snip one corner off with a pair of scissors. If you have neither, just use a spoon in the next step.
17. Pipe the filling into the eggs. Fill the cup of each egg white with your filling, forming little mounds. Set aside.
18. Check on your bacon. Remove your spiced bacon from the oven and break into smaller strips. Go ahead and eat a slice because why not? The ting too good.
19. Finally, assemble your ramen. Evenly divide your tomato choka broth between four bowls. Place a pile of ramen noodles in the center of each. Top with spiced bacon strips and deviled eggs. Sprinkle with chives.
20. Ta-da! Happiness in a bowl.

About Post Author

Simmone Edwin

https://www.instagram.com/merakicateringtt/

Simmone ‘Simmy’ Edwin is a certified hospitality educator, who was most recently the head chef at Adam’s Bagels. She obtained an associate’s degree in Culinary Management at TTHTI and followed her passion for education in the field, to earn a bachelor’s degree in Food Service Management and International Hotel Operations from Johnson and Wales University Miami and the Spermalie Hotel School Belgium. Upon her return to Trinidad, she dived in to the culinary scene working in places such as Il Colosseo, More Sushi, The Normandie Hotel, Buzo and has taught for a while at The Baking Academy. Follow her on social media at @merakicateringtt.

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