Miso ramen

Ingredients

For the Soup Broth

For the Ramen Noodles

For the Condiments (optional)

Instructions

Before You Start

  1. Prepare all the ramen toppings ahead of time—so they‘re ready to serve with your hot bowl of ramen.
  2. If you're making Homemade Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly) and Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago), start a day in advance.
  3. Gather all the ingredients.
  4. Two panels show ramen ingredients on a wooden surface: left has raw pork, noodles, broth, ginger, shallot, sauces, miso, spices; right has cooked ramen toppings like soft-boiled eggs, corn, sliced pork, green onion, nori, and condiments. 1.
  5. repare the Soup Ingredients 1.
  6. Mince or press 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press) and add to a small plate. Then, grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and add 0.5 tsp ginger (grated) to the plate.
  7. Side-by-side images showing hands preparing ginger: on the left, ginger is being pressed in a garlic press; on the right, ginger is being grated using a ceramic grater on a white plate.
  8. Mince 1 shallot and add to the plate. Set aside.
  9. A sequence of three images shows a hand slicing and finely chopping a shallot, followed by a small dish containing chopped shallot and minced garlic on a wooden surface.
  10. Grind 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, leaving some unground for texture. Set aside.
  11. Two close-up images show hands grinding sesame seeds in a brown-rimmed bowl using a pestle. The left image shows the process beginning; the right image shows the sesame seeds more finely ground.

To Make the Soup Broth

  1. Preheat a medium pot over medium-low heat. When it‘s hot, add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil and add the garlic, ginger, and shallot, and stir-fry with a wooden spatula until fragrant.
  2. A collage shows oil being poured into a pan, chopped onions and minced garlic added, and the mixture sautéed until lightly golden.
  3. Add 113 g ground pork and increase to medium heat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
  4. Two images side by side: the left shows ground meat being added to a pan with sautéed onions and garlic; the right shows the meat being stirred and cooked in the same pan with a wooden spatula.
  5. Add 1 tsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) and 3 Tbsp miso. Quickly blend with the meat without burning.
  6. Close-up of hands holding two small bowls with seasoning over a pot of cooked ground meat, followed by a shot of the meat being stirred with added seasonings in a metal pot.
  7. Add the ground sesame seeds and 1 Tbsp sugar and mix well.
  8. Two-panel image: Left, sesame seeds and sugar are being added to a pan with cooked ground meat. Right, a wooden spoon stirs the mixture in the pan as the ingredients blend together.
  9. Add 1 Tbsp sake and 960 ml chicken stock/broth, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
  10. Two photos: on the left, minced ingredients are sautéed in a stainless steel pan as a hand adds liquid from a small bowl; on the right, broth is being poured into the same pan over the sautéed mixture.
  11. Taste and add up to 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 0.25 tsp white pepper powder. Cover the soup broth with the lid and keep it on a low simmer while you cook the noodles.
  12. Nami's Tip: Chicken stock varies in saltiness, so taste your soup to decide how much salt to add. Three images: broth being stirred with a spoon in a pot, salt and pepper being added to the pot, and a hand placing a lid on the pot.

To Prepare the Ramen Noodles

  1. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, ladle some of the hot water into the ramen bowls to warm them. Meanwhile, gently shake 2 servings fresh ramen noodles with your hand to separate and loosen them.
  2. A white pot is heating on a stovetop on the left; on the right, uncooked yellow ramen noodles are spread out on a wooden cutting board with a small bowl containing an egg yolk nearby.
  3. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. I cook the noodles al dente so they're still firm, about 15 seconds less than the suggested cooking time. Before your noodles are done cooking, empty the hot water from the warmed ramen bowls.
  4. Two images side by side: On the left, hands add raw yellow noodles into boiling water in a pot. On the right, noodles cook in the water while being stirred with chopsticks.
  5. When the noodles are done, quickly pick them up with a mesh sieve and shake out the excess water. Serve them into the warmed bowls.
  6. Nami's Tip: Drain the noodles well so the cooking water doesn't dilute your soup. Two images: On the left, yellow noodles are being lifted from boiling water with a strainer over a pot. On the right, the cooked noodles are drained in a metal sieve over a bowl.

To Serve

  1. Add the hot ramen soup broth to each bowl.
  2. Two-panel image showing the preparation of noodle soup: left, broth being ladled from a pot; right, broth with ground meat poured over yellow noodles in a bowl.
  3. Place the toppings of your choice on the ramen noodles and serve immediately.
  4. I put blanched bean sprouts (or Spicy Bean Sprout Salad), frozen or canned corn, Shiraga Negi (julienned long green onions), Homemade Chashu (Japanese Braised Pork Belly), and Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago).
  5. Finally, I sprinkle thinly sliced green onion/scallion and insert a quarter sheet of nori (dried laver seaweed).
  6. At the table, add the optional condiments (la-yu (Japanese chili oil), pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), and white pepper powder), and enjoy.
  7. Two bowls of ramen with sliced pork, soft-boiled eggs, and toppings such as bean sprouts, corn, green onions, and seaweed in rich broth.

To Store

  1. You can keep the soup broth in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cook the noodles right before serving.

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