Miso Ramen Recipe

Prepare and blanch

Rinse the chicken. Place chicken (or carcasses and wings) in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil for 8 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and discard the blanch water; rinse pot briefly.

Simmer the broth

Return the blanched chicken to the pot with 5 L fresh cold water. Add halved onion, smashed garlic, smashed ginger, kombu, and dried shiitake. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, skimming foam occasionally.

Finish broth

Remove kombu after 30 minutes of simmering. After 2–3 hours, remove chicken and strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot. Press solids to extract liquid. Add soy sauce, mirin and 2 tsp salt, then taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm (hold at 70–80°C) for assembling ramen. Reserve 120 ml warm stock for the miso sauce.

Warm the neutral oil and sesame oil in a small pan over low heat for 20–30 seconds (do not smoke). In a heatproof bowl, whisk together white miso and red miso. Gradually whisk in the reserved 120 ml warm chicken stock until smooth and a pourable consistency is reached. Stir in the warmed oils, sugar and rice vinegar. Taste and adjust balance (add more stock to thin or more miso for intensity). Keep at room temperature or gently warm before serving.

Roll and sear

Roll the pork belly into a tight log and tie with kitchen twine. In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, brown the pork on all sides over medium-high heat to develop color (2–3 minutes per side).

Braise

Add soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, smashed garlic and sliced ginger to the pan with the pork. Add enough water to come halfway up the pork belly. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise gently for 1 to 1¼ hours until tender when pierced. Turn the pork once during cooking.

Rest and slice

Remove pork from liquid and let rest 15 minutes. Reserve braising liquid (can be used as extra seasoning). Slice pork into 6–8 mm thick rounds to top ramen.

Poach or braise chicken

Place chicken thighs in a small saucepan with soy sauce, mirin, sugar, smashed garlic and enough water to nearly cover. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat and poach for 12–15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F). Turn once to evenly cook.

Rest and slice

Remove chicken to a cutting board, rest 5–10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain into pieces suitable for topping bowls.

Blanch vegetables

Bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil. Add bok choy or mixed vegetables and blanch 1–2 minutes until bright and tender-crisp. Remove and drain; set aside.

Cook noodles

In the same boiling water (or a dedicated pot), cook fresh thick ramen noodles according to package instructions (usually 90–120 seconds for fresh thick noodles). Stir gently to separate. Drain well but do not rinse.

For each bowl (serving for 4 total): add 1.5–2 tablespoons of miso sauce to the bottom of the warm bowl (adjust to taste). Ladle 500–550 ml of hot chicken broth over the miso and whisk briefly to dissolve and create a cohesive seasoned broth.

Place cooked noodles into the bowl (one portion per bowl). Arrange 3–4 slices of pork cha-shu and 3–4 slices of chicken cha-shu on top. Add a portion of blanched vegetables, sprinkle sliced chives and toasted sesame seeds. Add optional garnishes such as a soft-boiled egg, nori and menma as desired.

Serve immediately. Notify guests to check for allergens (soy, sesame, eggs, wheat in noodles).