In the first installment of this series, I gave you some serious ramen envy with my Spicy Shoyu Ramen. The response on that post across social media was fab, and I may have enticed a ramen fanatic or two to give it a whirl at home themselves. After all, that’s part of why I’m rolling this series out; to encourage people to learn about other culture’s cuisines by hitting the markets and making things from scratch.
So, why another ramen bowl?
The reason I decided to include two ramen bowls in this series is to show you (shoyu?) that ramen isn’t just one soup in particular; it comes in various styles — shoyu, miso, tonkotsu and shio.
In general, ramen comprises four key elements: the broth, the noodles, the tare (base) and, of course, those crowd-pleasing adornments. However, it’s the tare that sets a ramen’s tone.
The tare is the bold umami-packed essence that pulls the broth together. The most common tare is shoyu, which packs a solid punch with soy sauce and dashi. If you did happen to make my Spicy Shoyu Ramen, then you know the lovely punch I’m talking about.
Miso Ramen
Shoyu and miso ramen might look similar at a quick glance, but the color and flavor are very different. Miso is a fermented bean paste and creates an opaque and cloudy broth; a shoyu-based broth is dark and clear. Furthermore, a miso broth has a smooth finish while a shoyu broth is sharper on the palate. What they *do* have in common is that they both give us that umami we covet, just in their own distinct ways.
I honestly can’t say I love one more than the other.
THIS RECIPE IS PART OF MY EAST SERIES.
In this series, I’ll be covering dishes from Japan, China and Korea to cover East Asia, followed by dishes from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to cover Southeast Asia.
Making this recipe? Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram: @Killing__Thyme /#killingthyme. For more delish eats, follow me on INSTAGRAM + PINTEREST.
Miso Ramen
Ingredients
Noodles:
- ¾ lb fresh ramen noodles or 2 packages of instant ramen
Soup:
- 2 cloves large garlic minced
- 1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 tbsp . sesame seeds ground up
- 1 tbsp . sesame oil
- 1 tsp . Chili Bean Sauce/Paste La Doubanjiang
- 3 tbsp . miso paste
- 1 tbsp . organic honey
- 1 tbsp . sake
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp . kosher salt
- ¼ tsp . white pepper
Garnishes: (See notes*)
- Fried fish cakes
- kamaboko
- Soft boiled egg
- Sliced scallions
- Ribboned nori
- Radishes thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil in a medium stockpot over moderate heat.
- Add the minced garlic, ginger and shallot. Sautee until fragrant — approx. 2 minutes — stirring frequently.
- Add the spicy bean paste, the miso paste, sesame seeds and honey; stir to combine.
- Add the sake, vegetable stock, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, and keep the broth to a low simmer while you prep your garnishes. Prep your garnishes before cooking your noodles as the noodles don't take long at all.
- Once your garnishes are ready, prepare your ramen noodles as per the packages instructions, but lessen the suggested time by about 30 seconds since your noodles will continue to cook once the hot broth is ladled over them.
- Once your noodles are ready, drain them and place them into bowls.
- Ladle broth over them, garnish, and serve immediately.
Notes
Resources
- JustOneCookbook.com — It’s safe to say that 90 per cent of what I’ve learned in Japanese cooking has come from Nami and her amazing blog. Nami, if you read this, thank you.
Love Ramen, but have never made it at home. You make it seem easy and the pics are motivating. Thanks for the share Dana! P.S. Red-face – I’ll be eating this with a fork/spoon.
Thanks, Diane! I’m so happy that you found the post to be motivating. That’s an important aspect of this series for me — getting people to just go ahead and do it. And hey, a fork and spoon work! Chopsticks are easy once you get the hang of them, but until then, fork it :)
Yes! to all of this. I mean, ramen, right?! I love Asian flavours, so this looks perfect for a comforting dinner on a cold night.
Thanks, Gabby! Ramen for life, yo. That’s definitely the one plus about chilly weather — soup all day, every day.
I LOVE your photos in this post! They are so vibrant, and that ramen looks delish! I tried clicking on you Instagram link and it didn’t work, so you might want to check the URL. :)
Thanks so much Shareba! Gah, thanks for pointing that out. It’s linking to my old account. I’m going to have to go back and fix them all. Weekend project, haha :)
Dana, I’m LOVING this series! I’m looking forward to every part more and more. I love how you’ve made the recipes simple and to the point, yet packed with amazing detail and care. No crappy shortcuts – just good, honest food. Great job.
Thanks so much! I’m really happy with how it’s turned out so far. Kicking it off was so nerve-racking, but now I’m just pumped. I want to honor these dishes the way they deserve to be, and I want to motivate people to try for themselves!
I love soups like this. Hearty, simple and best of all comforting. The perfect all in one meal!
Thanks Markus! I agree wholeheartedly. A big bowl of soup is one thing, but a big bowl of homemade soup is a whole other level of awesome. You can just feel it nourishing you as you devour it.
Your photos are beautiful and you’ve presented the ramen so tastefully. I’m looking forward to following your series as it continues.
Thanks so much, Teresa! I’m so thrilled to have you on board for this series. It’s my first series, and a huge one at that, but people like you keep me going <3
What adorable, bright photos! I could use a bowl of this Miso Ramen for lunch!
Thanks, Bernice! Once you make one of these bad boys at home, you’ll be making them on the regular. It’s ridiculous how often I crave a big bowl of ramen — whether it be miso *or* shoyu :)
Ramen has always seemed like something that’s super difficult but you’ve made it look very simple and approachable. Love how this looks too!
Thanks, Amanda! I always thought the same, and when I decided to make it from scratch I thought it was going to be a messy scene, but it was super easy — not to mention a ton of fun to garnish.
Perfect healthy and warming soup to relax the stomach before the big excess of christmas! Never had fried fish cake… I’ll have to try it out! Beautiful recipe, once more! Great job!
Oh, the fried fish cakes are oh-so-good. I usually find mine in the frozen section at my local Korean market, and then I broil them for a few mins. to puff them up and slightly brown them. Dee-lish!
Thanks so much, Marie! I appreciate your constant support!