Miso Ramen: The Original Hokkaido Style

Miso ramen is one of the most popular types of ramen today. It is a relative newcomer to the ramen scene, invented in 1965 in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.

What makes it stand out from the other styles of ramen: shio, shoyu, and tonkotsu? Simply put, miso ramen packs a punch. I think there is more flavor in here than any other ramen.

Due to the richness of the broth, there’s almost no limit to the toppings you can have. Corn, butter, even fried foods won’t overwhelm the flavors of the broth. There’s a ton of freedom here, but for this recipe, I’ll focus on the classic one that originated in Hokkaido.

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Miso Ramen Broth

There are 2 main things I’ll focus on for this recipe, the broth and the char siu pork. They are also the only thing you can really mess up.

To keep things simple, I started with chicken broth. We can build layers of flavor on top of that. Miso paste itself will add a ton.

First, I like to start with some garlic and shallots. Lightly fry them with sesame oil for about 2 minutes and add them to the pot with your chicken broth.

Next, we add more layers. Bonito flakes add a deeper, salty and meaty flavor. You don’t have to use them, but if you do, you probably want to strain the broth before you serve it.

Sake and mirin add a little bit of acidity and sweetness, respectively. Finally, add what makes it miso ramen, the miso paste. This stuff is really powerful, so maybe add a tablespoon at a time to see if you like having more or less.

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Char Siu Pork Shoulder

There are multiple different cuts of pork you can use for char siu: belly, shoulder, butt, even loin. For this miso ramen recipe, I decided to uses shoulder because it’s really meaty. I think this will work well with the richness of the broth.

The Marinade

The marinade is up to you, all kinds of flavors work here. For this one, I used soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, Chinese 5 spice, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

You want to let this marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Part of what makes char siu pork so good is how long they let it absorb the amazing marinade. I’ve let it go up to 2 days before on accident, and the flavor was incredible.

Roasting The Pork

Next, is the roasting. There’s something empowering about roasting large slabs of meat. Feels really satisfying in a primal sort of way. Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F.

You can either put the pork on a baking sheet or roasting pan, or put it directly on the rack and have a sheet below to catch the drippings. Directly on the rack allows the heat to circulate around it. I think this makes it cook more evenly as well. Difficult to take out of the oven though.

Roast for 20 minutes at 425 F, then turn down to 325 F. It should take about an hour for every pound the pork weighs, so 4 hours if it’s 4 lbs. The only way to make for sure is to use a thermometer. Internal temperature should be at least 145 F, but will likely be higher.

Let the pork rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it. This allows the pork to reabsorb a lot of the juices. Also, you can finish getting the rest of the miso ramen done in the meantime. This recipe uses about 1/4 of the pork, but it is just as delicious the next day, and the day after that.

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Miso Ramen Toppings

I went with very simple, classic toppings for this ramen. Slices of the char siu pork, scallions, and a few sheets of nori. What if you want to level up your bowl? Menma, egg, butter, corn, fried garlic, cabbage, mung bean sprouts, kamaboko, spinach, pickled ginger, umeboshi and mushrooms are all popular ramen toppings.

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