Miso Ramen (Sapporo Style with Wok-Fried Pork and Sprouts)
味噌ラーメン
https://japanese-kitchen-brothers.com/pages/recipe-miso-ramen-sapporo-style-with-wok-fried-pork-and-sprouts
Pork and sprouts sizzle in a hot wok. Broth pours in. A rich miso tare waits in the bowl.
👨🍳"This is my snow-day bowl. The butter melts before I sit down."
Ingredients
Serves 2Miso Tare
Soup (Local)
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800 ml (~3⅓ cups)
Soup (Authentic)
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500 ml (~2 cups)
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Umami Awase dashi300 ml (1¼ cups)homemade, or made from granules
Stir-Fry
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Ground pork100 g (~3.5 oz)
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200 g (~7 oz)rinsed and drained
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Fat Vegetable oil or lard1 tbspoil for Local, lard for Authentic
Noodles
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2 portionsinstant ramen blocks for Local, fresh for Authentic
Toppings (Local)
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Sweet corn4 tbsp (~60 g)canned or frozen
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Fat Butter20 g (~1½ tbsp)10 g per bowl
Toppings (Authentic)
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Fat Lard1 tbspfor the top
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1 stalkthinly sliced
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Ajitama optional1halved, see our Ajitama recipe
Taste & Texture Profile
The Local bowl tastes sweeter and creamier from corn and butter. The Authentic bowl tastes deeper, with dashi and lard.
Taste Profile
Texture Profile
Sensory Notes
Toasty miso and garlic, with sweet corn and melting butter.
A loud hiss as the broth hits the hot wok.
Golden-brown soup with yellow corn and a pale pat of butter.
Very hot. The butter turns into a shiny film in seconds.
Roasted pork fat, sesame, and warm miso rise with the steam.
Sprouts crackle in the lard before the broth goes in.
Cloudy tan soup under a thin, shining layer of lard.
The lard keeps the last sip nearly as hot as the first.
Instructions
Mix the miso, sesame paste, mirin, and soy sauce in a bowl. Stir in the garlic and ginger. This is your tare.
💡 Why 4 tablespoons of miso is enough
Miso is about 12 percent salt. Four tablespoons hold roughly 8 g of salt. Spread over 800 ml of soup, that lands near 1 percent. Most people call that level just right.
Can I just add miso until it tastes right?
Measure first. Then taste the finished bowl.
So the math gets me close before I taste.
Warm the chicken broth in a pot. Keep it just below a boil.
Warm the chicken broth and dashi together in a pot. Keep them just below a boil.
Start a large pot of water for the noodles. Heat the oil or lard in a wok over high heat. Add the pork. Break it up and brown it for 2 minutes.
Add the bean sprouts. Toss for 1 minute, until glossy but still crisp. Pour the hot broth into the wok. Scrape up the brown bits. Let it bubble for 1 minute.
💡 Why the broth goes into a hot wok
The wok sits near 200C when the broth hits. The loud sizzle lifts the brown bits off the metal. They melt into the soup and add a roasted smell. Pork fat breaks into tiny drops and clouds the soup.
Why not just boil the pork in the soup?
Boiled pork tastes flat. Fried pork tastes roasted.
So the wok adds a taste the pot cannot.
Boil the noodles for the time on the package. Drain and shake off the water hard.
Put half the tare in each warm bowl. Add a ladle of hot soup and whisk until smooth. Pour in the rest of the soup.
💡 Why the miso goes in the bowl
Miso aroma fades fast in a boiling pot. The pot holds near 100C for minutes. In the bowl, the miso meets that heat for seconds only. A small ladle of soup first stops lumps.
Never boil the miso in the pot.
Even when I make a big batch?
Even then. Add it bowl by bowl.
Add the noodles to the bowls. Pile the pork and sprouts on top.
Top each bowl with corn and a pat of butter. Serve right away.
Warm the last tablespoon of lard. Spoon a thin layer over each bowl. Add the green onion and half an ajitama.
💡 The fat lid keeps the soup hot
Most heat leaves an open bowl as steam. A thin layer of fat blocks that steam. The soup stays above 70C for longer. Butter on the Local bowl does the same job.
More fat on top? That sounds heavy.
One tablespoon. It works like a lid.
So the last spoonful is still hot.
FAQ
What kind of miso works best for ramen?
White or mixed miso works well. Red miso is saltier, so start with 3 tbsp. Taste before you add more.
Can I make miso ramen vegan?
Yes. Use kombu dashi and vegetable broth. Swap the pork for mushrooms and fry them hard. Check that the noodles contain no egg.
Why did my soup turn grainy?
The miso boiled, or it went in as a lump. Loosen it with a little soup first. Add it in the bowl, not the pot.
Can I make the miso tare ahead?
Yes. Keep it sealed in the fridge for about 1 week. The garlic gets stronger each day.
Can I use instant ramen noodles?
Yes. Throw away the flavor packet. Cook the noodles 30 seconds less than the package says.
