Miso Ramen
intro
Rich, umami-packed Hokkaido-style miso ramen with springy noodles and savory toppings, a cozy, deeply satisfying warm meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Simmer the broth base
Heat 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and grated ginger, sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the aromatics. Add dried shiitake mushrooms and 1500ml low-sodium chicken stock, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to extract deep umami flavor from the mushrooms.
Build miso broth flavor
Remove the stockpot from heat temporarily. Scoop 120ml of hot stock into a small bowl, add 120 grams of shiro miso paste, stir until completely smooth with no lumps, then pour the dissolved miso mixture back into the stockpot. Add 200 grams of thinly sliced pork belly to the pot, return to medium-low heat, simmer for 8 minutes until pork is fully cooked and tender. Stir in 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, then keep the broth warm over the lowest heat setting; do not bring to a rolling boil, as high heat will ruin miso's delicate flavor.
Cook soft-boiled eggs
While the broth simmers, bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Gently lower 4 large eggs into the water with a slotted spoon, set a timer for 6 minutes and 30 seconds for perfectly runny yolks. While eggs cook, prepare an ice bath with 500ml cold water and 200 grams of ice in a medium bowl. When the timer goes off, transfer eggs immediately to the ice bath to cool for 5 minutes, then peel and cut in half lengthwise, set aside for topping.
Prep vegetable toppings
Bring a separate medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 150 grams of fresh bean sprouts and 100 grams of frozen corn kernels, blanch for 1 minute, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain well. Toss the blanched vegetables with the remaining 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, set aside. Reserve the boiling water in the pot to cook the ramen noodles to reduce cleanup.
Cook ramen noodles
Return the pot of reserved blanching water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 500 grams of fresh ramen noodles, stir gently with chopsticks to separate strands, cook for 2 to 3 minutes (follow package directions for al dente texture, do not overcook as noodles will soften further in hot broth). Drain noodles completely, divide evenly (125 grams per portion) between 4 deep serving bowls.
Assemble ramen bowls
Ladle 375ml (1.5 cups) of warm miso broth with 2-3 slices of cooked pork belly into each bowl over the drained noodles. Arrange toppings in neat sections on top of the noodles: 2 egg halves per bowl, a 62g portion of the corn and bean sprout mix, a pinch of thinly sliced scallions, 1 roasted nori sheet propped against the side of the bowl, and a 7g (1/2 tablespoon) pat of unsalted butter placed in the center to melt into the broth. Serve immediately while piping hot.
Tips
2.Cook fresh ramen noodles to al dente (slightly firm to the bite) only, as they will continue to soften and absorb hot broth quickly once served; overcooked noodles will turn mushy and unappetizing.
3.For an authentic ramen egg flavor, marinate peeled cooled eggs in a mixture of 60ml soy sauce, 30ml mirin, and 60ml water for 1 hour before serving if you have extra prep time.
OMG this miso ramen is a total game changer! I’ve been intimidated to make ramen at home for years, but the steps were so easy to follow even on a busy weeknight. My two kids begged for second helpings, and my husband said it’s better than the takeout spot we hit every Friday. 10/10 will be adding this to our regular dinner rotation!
Really solid miso ramen recipe! Cook time was right around 45 minutes like it said, no surprises there. I only knocked off a star because I found the broth a little too salty for my taste when I used white miso straight out of the tub – next time I’ll cut it with a little extra chicken broth and maybe a splash of mirin to balance it out. Perfect base recipe to tweak to your own tastes though!
SO good! I made a big batch of this on Sunday for meal prep for the work week, and it held up so much better than I thought ramen would. I stored the broth, noodles, and toppings separately so the noodles didn’t get mushy, and it was like a fresh restaurant meal every single lunch. Coworkers kept stopping by my desk asking what smelled so good! Already sent the recipe to our whole office potluck group chat.
Tasty end result, but this was definitely medium difficulty like the recipe says, y’all. I messed up the tare the first time because I burned the garlic, and had to restart that part. Ended up adding extra chili oil and bamboo shoots to make up for the slightly toasty garlic taste, and it turned out okay, but I think I need a couple more practice runs before I make this for guests. Worth the effort though!
As someone who’s spent way too much money at ramen shops across the country, I was skeptical a home recipe could hit that rich umami miso flavor, but wow, this delivered. I added chashu pork I braised the night before, menma, narutomaki, and a little pat of butter on top right before serving, and it tasted exactly like what I order at my favorite spot in Atlanta. Absolute banger of a recipe.