Elijah Pulley, CCC, newly appointed Executive Chef of Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, says the idea for his Breakfast Ramen recipe came from his experience working in a Vietnamese noodle house.
“I had the privilege of working with a Vietnamese family for four years in multiple restaurants,” he adds. “Vietnamese cuisine and culture to me is very calming, though it’s built around complex flavors.”
Pulley tells C+RC about the approachable dish—with a deceptively technical broth—on the club’s new brunch menu.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): How would you describe the flavors?
Elijah Pulley (EP): Light, hearty and refreshing. The smokey flavor from the bacon pairs extremely well with the umami flavor of the kombu/dried mushrooms. The fresh flavors from the vegetables tie it all together, and the poached egg adds a richness to the dish to round it out. The cilantro and lime wedges help elevate all the flavors and marry them together.
C+RC: What makes this a successful dish?
EP: This dish is successful because it remains approachable to the common guest and is an easy pick up for a busy brunch service. It also is a great way to introduce cooks to a different style of cuisine in a way that is not intimidating.
C+RC: What about this dish makes you most proud?
EP: The dashi broth. Even though a basic dashi broth is simple to make, it’s easy to mess up. There is a lot more technical skill involved than most people realize. Dashi has a depth of flavor that is only achieved when brought up slowly and properly.
While working at the noodle house, I learned how to make pho broth. The pho recipe was passed down through numerous generations, and I was lucky enough to learn the technique and patience required to make it. All of our stocks/broths [took] a minimum of four days, each day adding another set of ingredients.
C+RC: Do you think other chefs might be inspired by this dish? Why?
EP: I think other chefs can be inspired by this dish, as it’s a fun play on something most of us have eaten after a long shift.
Dashi is an essential part of Asian cuisine. It’s almost [like] a blank canvas.