Miso Ramen Recipe

Blanch bones

Place pork bones in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil for 8 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse bones under warm water, scrubbing off any scum. Wipe out the pot.

Simmer broth

Return the cleaned bones to the pot with 2000 ml fresh water. Add smashed ginger, smashed garlic cloves, and dried shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim any foam for the first 20 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours to extract flavor.

Strain and season

After simmering, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding solids. Return broth to low heat and whisk in white miso and red miso (dissolve miso in a ladle of hot broth first to prevent clumping). Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Taste and adjust: add extra soy or miso for saltiness or a little water if too intense. Keep hot but do not boil.

Sear pork

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the rolled pork belly on all sides until nicely browned, about 2–3 minutes per side. This adds color and flavor.

Braise pork

Place the seared pork in a small heavy pot. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 1/4 cup sake, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp brown sugar, smashed white parts of green onions and sliced ginger. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, turning once halfway, until pork is very tender but still sliceable.

Cool and slice

Remove pork from braising liquid. If desired, reduce the braising liquid over medium-high heat until slightly syrupy and brush onto sliced pork. Let pork rest 10 minutes, then thinly slice (about 1/4 inch). Reserve some braising liquid to finish bowls.

Soft boil eggs

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Gently lower 4 large eggs and cook for 6 minutes for jammy centers. Meanwhile prepare an ice bath.

Peel and marinate

Transfer eggs to the ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel carefully. Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp sugar in a container or zip-top bag. Add peeled eggs and submerge (use weight if necessary). Refrigerate and marinate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning once.

Prepare vegetables and mushrooms

Trim enoki mushrooms and separate into small clusters. If using carrots and bok choy, slice carrots into matchsticks and separate bok choy leaves. Blanch mixed vegetables and enoki in boiling water for 30–60 seconds until just tender, then shock in ice water to keep color. Drain well.

Cook noodles

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions (usually 2–4 minutes for fresh, 4–5 for dried) until al dente. Drain and briefly rinse under hot water only if needed to separate noodles; keep warm.

Heat broth and finish

Reheat strained miso-pork broth to a gentle simmer. If desired, stir in 1–2 tbsp reserved pork braising liquid per bowl for extra pork flavor. Do not boil the broth after adding miso.

Assemble bowls

Divide cooked noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle hot miso broth over noodles. Arrange 2–3 slices of braised pork, 1 marinated egg halved, a handful of blanched mixed vegetables, a small cluster of enoki mushrooms, nori strips, sliced green onions, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on each bowl. Add chili oil to taste.

Serve immediately while hot. Provide extra soy, chili oil and sesame seeds at the table. Leftover broth can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage; reheat gently and do not boil after miso has been added.