Our super-easy miso ramen will satisfy your craving for Japanese noodles. We’ve packed the recipe with traditional Japanese flavours for a weeknight meal that can be prepared in just 15 minutes.
Ramen made from scratch in 15 minutes
There’s no need to make a long-lasting pork broth. This simple miso-based soup is made from pork mince, and infused with flavour-packed miso stock and chicken stock.
It’s also very adaptable. We sometimes turn it vegan, by substituting the pork with mushrooms or tofu and “mashing” it up using our hands. Then we replace the chicken stock with veggie or kombu stock.
Ramen for beginners: The perfect ramen
The base of this ramen is a miso soup base and pork mince rather than the heavier Tonkatsu Ramen.
Use red miso paste to make a heavier version. If you want a milder soup, swap this for white miso. Unsure about the differences? Our miso guide can help.
Sapporo is the most famous miso ramen area in Japan. We love to add butter to our miso-ramen, especially when it’s served with corn. We love the creaminess it adds to the broth once it melts.
Ingredients and substitutes
- White Miso You can use any red miso, but you want a darker brown colour rather than a lighter yellow miso. Substitute with half white and half red miso paste, or white only for a milder taste.
- Pork Mince is also known as ground meat. This amount is deliberately small as the purpose of it is to add flavour, not to be the star. This amount can be doubled if desired. Substitute with beef mince, chicken or tofu.
- Mentsuyu– This gives the broth a rich umami flavour. You can make your own Mentsuyu, or use regular soy sauce.
- Doubanjiang This is one ingredient that we would recommend locating rather than substituting. This Chinese condiment can be called douban, toban djan, fermented chilli bean paste, broad bean chilli, or even fermented bean sauce. You can use sweet fermented bean paste (tian Mian Jiang) for a sweeter, milder taste. You can substitute extra red miso or Gochujang in a pinch. The flavour will differ but you will still get a delicious umami kick. If you cannot find these products locally, you may purchase them on the internet.
- Rayu – Sesame Chilli Oil This Japanese condiment is a perfect blend of sesame and chilli oil without being too spicy. Japanese chilli oil can be made at home or purchased online. Use regular sesame with a sprinkle of chilli powder, to taste.
- Toasted ground sesame seeds – These add a nutty flavour to the broth and thicken it a little. If you want to try it out further, this ingredient can also be used to make our tonkatsu paste.
- Ramen Noodles — Fresh noodles are best but dried noodles can be used if you reduce the weight by half in the recipe.
What are your favourite Ramen toppings?
- Corn (HTML0) – Use fresh corn right off the cob or heat frozen corn kernels for a quick meal.
- Bamboo ShootsFresh (known as Menma), give the dish a nice crunch texture.
- Spring Onion/Green Onion-We like to use the white and the green parts, but the green tops are also great.
- Soft-Boiled Eggs –Simple, soft-boiled eggs pair well with miso-ramen. If you want to take it a step further, try Ramen Eggs or Onsen Eggs.
- Butter –Aim to use 1 small square (around 1 tablespoon) per bowl. Add a little butter to the sweetcorn. It goes perfectly with the broth. You can increase the umami by adding miso Butter.
- Pepper Use freshly cracked black pepper or top with Japanese Seven Spice and Aonori.
- Nori SheetsSliced in small rectangles. The heat and broth will make them soggy very quickly.
- Beni shoga – Iconic pickled ginger strips give the dish a great zing!
- Bean sprouts – Add some crunch to your meal!
- Chashu Pork SlicesThinly-sliced chashu pairs well with miso tare. You can make your own, or you can buy it already prepared and sliced at a local Asian Restaurant.
Procedures
- Follow the instructions on the packet to cook Ramen Noodles. Drain.
Miso Tare:
- Add the red miso, garlic, ginger mentuyu, Doubanjiang sugar, rayu chilli oil, and ground white sesame to a small bowl. Mix well.
Pork:
- Heat the oil over high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the minced pork, and grated ginger to a medium saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes or until brown. Mix in the Miso Tare.
- Pour in one cup of the stock, and stir until the tare becomes a soup base. Bring to a boil the remainder of the chicken stock. Stir frequently and continue to cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat.
To Assemble:
- Serve the cooked Ramen noodles in serving bowls. Pour over spicy Miso Ramen Broth until the noodles are almost completely covered.
- Serve immediately. Top with toppings (such as boiled eggs, butter or corn, nori sheets, or spring onions) of your choice.
Stores
Store all leftovers in airtight containers to ensure the freshest taste. Reheat in the oven. You can keep it for up to three days. For a quick dinner, you can freeze just the broth.
Miso Ramen Recipe
Ingredients
For the Pork:
For the Spicy Miso Tare:
Instructions
- Cook ramen noodles according to packet directions. Drain.
For the Miso Tare:
- In a small dish, add the red miso paste, garlic, ginger, mentsuyu, doubanjiang, sugar, rayu chilli oil and toasted ground white sesame seeds. Mix until well combined.
For the Pork:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Place in the pork mince and ginger and cook for around 3 minutes until browned. Add in the miso tare and mix through.
- Pour in 1 cup of the chicken stock and stir until the tare softens into a soup base. Pour in the remaining chicken stock and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally and cook for a further minute or two. Switch off the heat.
To Assemble:
- Portion out the cooked ramen noodles into serving bowls. Ladle over with spicy miso ramen broth, until noodles are almost covered.
- Top with ramen toppings of your choice (we love eggs, butter, corn, spring onion, beni shoga and nori sheets) and serve immediately.
