Miso Ramen Recipe

Blanch bones

Place pork bones and chicken in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Pour out water and discard. Rinse bones and pot to remove scum.

Simmer

Return cleaned bones to the pot, add 6 liters fresh cold water, smashed ginger, halved garlic cloves, and halved onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 4–6 hours, occasionally skimming any foam. Maintain a low rolling bubble to extract collagen; add water as needed to keep bones covered.

Add umami elements

During the last 30 minutes of simmering, add dried shiitake and kombu. Remove kombu after 10 minutes to avoid bitterness. After simmering is complete, strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot. Discard solids.

Dashi finish

Bring strained stock to a gentle simmer, add bonito flakes and simmer 2–3 minutes, then strain again to clarify and capture additional umami.

Miso tare

In a small saucepan, warm vegetable oil over low heat. Add white miso and red miso and stir to loosen. Add sake, mirin, soy sauce and a splash of the hot strained broth (about 1/2 cup) to thin and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust miso ratio and salt. Keep warm. Reserve remaining broth base to combine with tare when serving. Stir in 1 tsp salt and finish with 1 tsp neutral or sesame oil for gloss.

Roll and sear

Roll pork belly into a tight cylinder and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Pat dry. Heat a small pan, add 1 tsp oil, and brown the pork on all sides over medium-high heat until golden (about 6–8 minutes).

Braise

Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, smashed garlic and sliced ginger in a pot. Add seared pork and enough water (about 1 cup) to come halfway up the pork. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise gently for 1.5–2 hours, turning occasionally, until tender.

Cool in braising liquid

Remove pork and let cool slightly. Reserve braising liquid to slice and glaze the chashu or to flavor broth. Once cooled, refrigerate with some braising liquid for at least 1 hour (or overnight) to firm up for clean slices.

Soft boil eggs

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Lower eggs carefully and cook for exactly 6 minutes for runny yolks (6.5–7 minutes for jammy). Meanwhile prepare an ice bath.

Shock and peel

Transfer eggs to the ice bath immediately to stop cooking for at least 5 minutes. Gently crack and peel under running water to remove shells without tearing whites.

Marinate

Whisk 6 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp sugar until sugar dissolves. Place peeled eggs in a zip-top bag or small container and cover with marinade. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, turning occasionally. Remove just before serving and slice in half lengthwise.

Prep toppings

Warm corn and menma in a small pan or microwave until hot. Toast sesame seeds if not pre-toasted. Slice scallions thinly on the bias. If using bean sprouts, blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water and drain.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add fresh ramen noodles and cook according to package directions (usually 90–120 seconds for fresh; 3–4 minutes for dried fresh-style) until al dente. Stir gently to separate. Reserve a ladle of hot cooking water if needed. Drain noodles quickly in a colander and portion into bowls.

Slice chashu

Remove twine from chilled chashu and slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds. If desired, briefly heat slices in a splash of reserved braising liquid or quickly sear in a hot pan for 20–30 seconds per side to glaze.

Heat broth to a gentle simmer. For each bowl (serving), place about 1–1.5 tbs miso tare into the bottom of the bowl (adjust to taste). Ladle 2 cups (about 480 ml) of hot broth over the tare and whisk to dissolve into a uniform soup.

Add portioned cooked noodles into the bowl on top of the broth.

Arrange 3 slices of chashu on top of the noodles, place one halved marinated egg, a tablespoon or two of warm corn, 1 tbsp menma, and a small handful of blanched bean sprouts (if using).

Drizzle 1/2 tsp garlic oil or rayu and 1 tsp melted lard/pork fat over the bowl for gloss and aroma. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Add a sheet of nori on the side if using. Finish with a light grind of white pepper to taste.

Serve immediately while piping hot.