Spicy Miso Ramen Recipe

Blanch bones

Place pork bones and trotters in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse bones and pot thoroughly.

Make tonkotsu broth

Return cleaned bones to the pot. Add 6 L fresh water, ginger slices, halved garlic heads, halved onion, and white parts of scallions. Bring to a vigorous simmer, then lower heat to maintain a very gentle boil (light rolling simmer). Skim foam and fat frequently for the first 1–2 hours. Simmer uncovered for 6–8 hours (up to 12 for deeper collagen extraction), adding water as needed to keep bones submerged.

Finish broth with dashi

During the last 20 minutes of simmering, add kombu for 10 minutes (do not boil hard with kombu). Remove kombu, then add bonito flakes, simmer 2–3 minutes and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Taste and adjust seasoning — the broth should be rich but fairly neutral since the miso tare supplies major seasoning. Keep hot.

In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together white miso, red miso, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and chili paste until smooth. Warm gently (do not boil) for 2–3 minutes until aromatic. Separately heat 2 tbs neutral oil until shimmering and pour over toasted sesame seeds and chili paste to make a spicy oil; stir into the miso mixture. Transfer the tare to a bowl and keep warm. This mixture concentrates the flavor, so use about 2–3 tbs of tare per bowl and adjust to taste.

Roll and sear

Trim and roll the pork belly into a tight log and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Sear on all sides in a hot skillet until browned for added flavor (2–3 minutes per side).

Braise

Place seared pork into a pot with soy sauce (1 cup), sake (1/2 cup), mirin (1/4 cup), sugar, smashed garlic, sliced ginger, and scallion ends. Add enough water to barely cover the pork (about 1–2 cups). Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and braise gently for 1.5–2 hours until tender when pierced. Turn the pork occasionally to ensure even braising.

Cool and slice

Remove pork from braising liquid and let cool slightly. Reserve braising liquid (can be skimmed and added to broth or used as extra tare). Wrap the pork in foil and press with a weight (optional) or refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm for cleaner slicing. Slice thinly before serving.

Soft-boil eggs

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Lower eggs (room temperature) into water and cook for 6 minutes for runny yolks. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 10 minutes to stop cooking.

Marinate

Whisk soy sauce (1/2 cup), mirin (1/4 cup), water (1/4 cup), and sugar until sugar dissolves. Peel cooled eggs carefully and place them in the marinade, ensuring they are fully submerged (use a small container and weight if needed). Marinate 6–12 hours in the refrigerator (longer for stronger flavor). Remove eggs, slice in half lengthwise just before serving.

Prepare vegetables

Blanch baby bok choy or spinach in boiling water for 30–45 seconds until bright green, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain. Blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds and drain if you prefer them slightly softened; otherwise serve raw for crunch.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Cook fresh ramen noodles according to package instructions (typically 90–120 seconds for fresh; 3–4 minutes for dried), stirring to prevent sticking. Drain and divide into four heated bowls immediately.

To each bowl with noodles, spoon 2–3 tbs of the warm miso-spicy tare. Ladle 500 ml (about 2 cups) of hot tonkotsu broth over the tare and stir gently to dissolve and combine. Arrange 2–3 slices of chashu pork, one halved marinated egg, a small handful of blanched greens, bean sprouts, menma, and corn if using. Add nori strips and scatter sliced green scallions on top.

Finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and 1 tsp chili oil (rayu) per bowl. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and a pinch of shichimi togarashi or chili flakes to taste. Serve immediately while hot.