Miso ramen is my favourite kind of Ramen. It’s relatively new in the Japanese ramen world, but it has that strong rustic flavour that I associate with ramen.
I’m going to share with you my recipe for miso ramen. Feel free to change any of the mixtures, I usually have my ramen soup quite strong. Some people prefer it weaker.
The most important part to get right is the soup. That’s the soul of the ramen, what gives it its distinction. It’ll probably take many, many tries to get it right, feel free to experiment with the soup seperately first, then add the toppings to it.
Ok, so my recipe:
1. Collect all your ingredients. I live in the UK (with the nearest Japanese store up in London 45, mins away by train), so use what you can get hold of. I usually throw in:
- 1 + 1/2 pints of boiling water with one Knorr chicken stock cube (or 1 pack pre-made chicken stock)
- 1 pack of instant miso paste (or 1 teaspoon of miso paste)
- 2 rashers of chopped non-smoked bacon
- Leftover roast chicken
- Half a handful of bean sprouts
- 1 clove of chopped and crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2 large tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- A few drops of sesame seed oil
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Half a pack of noodles
First things first, put the egg on boil. Make sure it stays on for at least 10-15 minutes so it’s hard boiled. Put the bacon and the garlic into a frying pan and fry with the two teaspoons of olive oil.
In a separate large saucepan, add the soy sauce, sesame seed oil and the water + stock cube (or just the pack of pre-made stock). Add the miso to the stock. Simmer it for about 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cooked, add it and the rest of the olive oil/garlic from the frying pan into the saucepan with the stock. Put the leftover chicken and the bean sprouts into the stock as well.
Simmer for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put in the half pack of noodles on boil. Don’t let them get too soft! Once they’re done, put the noodles in a large bowl, ladle out the toppings on top of the noodles and then pour the soup on top. De-shell the egg, chop it in half and add it on top.
Salt and pepper to garnish. Add some nori seaweed leftover from making sushi or something.
And there you have it. Please comment and post your recipes or suggestions!
I’ll probably do Gyouza next, a tasty ramen accompaniment!
Dave Smith is an illustrator with great interest in Japan and Japanese culture. Find out more about Dave at
Man that looks so good, I live in Scotland and there is no Japanese stores what so ever in the area I live. So I cant get Miso anywhere. Really sucks.
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It tasted good as well
I used to live in Scotland too. Whereabouts? I find most of my stuff in Morrisons, Tesco or Asda. That Yutaka miso instant ramen paste is from Morrisons methinks. Look in the sauces section in the supermarkets. They usually stick it in with the Chinese sauces and bits. The ramen paste is preferable to the powdered stuff, but its all good. Some supermarkets have an oriental section as well.
As for a substitute for miso incase you can’t find any, I’m not sure. You could always use extra soy sauce, or make the stock stronger.
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Right now I’m in Arran. We’re moving back to Glasgow later this year. And I’ll check out Morrisons I’ve never really checked out what they have. I’ve tried Asda and Tesco and they don’t have any Miso.
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Cool, well check out Morrisons, and if you move back to Glasgow then check the supermarkets there too. They have a habit of selling somethings in one town, and other things in the other. I know for a fact that Morrisons in Perth has miso.
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You can buy miso pastes from many of the larger supermarkets in Scotland. There are a couple Chinese Food Stores in Garnethill in Glasgow, just take a trip there and stock up on all your sauces and mixes.
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You can order Japanese food, ingredients and housewares from the Japan Centre, in London. Its a really interesting and friendly shop with take aways – if you happen to be in Picadilly.
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Yeah, I go there a lot whenever i’m in London. Thats where I got my Gyouza skins ( ^ _ ^ ) It’s been improved as well; it’s no longer in the basement part, there’s a whole separate part to the left next door.
There’s an online store as well, if anyone’s interested. There’s not as much as the actual store, but there’s a good selection of stuff like miso and seaweed and other non-chilled/frozen goods. http://www.japancentre.com/
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