No need to slave all day for this ramen. One of the quickest, tastiest noodle dishes around – get this quick Spicy Miso Ramen on the table in 15 minutes. Full of topping ideas and the easiest miso tare soup base!
Why We Love This
There’s nothing more satisfying than a big bowl of noodle soup, especially when it’s ready in 15 minutes! The quick time to cook makes this perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend lunch.
No need for a time consuming or messy pork broth. This easy broth is made with pork mince infused with a flavour-packed miso tare and chicken stock.
Related: Ajitama – Ramen Eggs / Tantanmen Ramen / Tsukemen Dipping Ramen
What is Miso Ramen (味噌ラーメン)?
One of the quicker varieties of Japanese ramen, the base is made from a miso tare (soup base) and pork mince, rather than the heavier tonkotsu ramen, which made from a broth of pork bones that can take days to develop.
We use red miso paste for a saltier, slightly heavier version. Swap this out for white miso paste for a milder broth. Not sure about the difference? Check out our miso guide.
Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan is the famous area for miso ramen. As a nod to the Hokkaido style, we love adding butter to our miso ramen – especially with the corn. It adds a real creaminess once it melts into the broth, and we just can’t get enough!
Want your ramen noodles separate from the broth? Make tsukemen instead.
What You’ll Need
- Pork – The amount is intentionally small, as it’s more to add flavour than be the main star of the show. You can double this amount if you like. Sub with chicken, beef mince or tofu.
- Red Miso – Sub with half red and half white miso paste or just white for milder flavour.
- Mentsuyu – This brings rich umami flavour to the broth. Make your own mentsuyu or substitute with regular soy sauce.
- Doubanjiang – This is the one ingredient we recommend hunting down rather than substituting. This Chinese condiment is made from salty and spicy fermented broad beans, and can sometimes be labelled as douban, toban-djan, broad bean chili sauce, or fermented chili bean paste. For a milder, sweeter flavour you could use sweet fermented bean paste (tian mian jiang) instead. In a pinch, you could substitute with extra red miso paste or gochujang – the flavour will be different but it will still give you a delicious umami zing. Head to an Asian grocery for these options – if you can’t source them locally, you can also buy them online.
- Rayu (Sesame Chilli Oil) – This delicious Japanese condiment is the perfect blend of sesame oil and chilli without being over the top spicy. You can easily make rayu oil at home, find it at Asian groceries or buy online if needed. To substitute, just use regular sesame oil with a sprinkling of chilli powder to taste.
- Toasted Ground Sesame Seeds – This brings a delicious nutty flavour to the broth while also helping to thicken it slightly. This popular ingredient is also used in our restaurant-style tonkatsu sauce if you’re keen to experiment with it further or to see the technique on how to toast and grind it.
Quick Topping Ideas for your Ramen!
- Corn – Use fresh corn straight off the cob, or heat through frozen corn kernels to save time.
- Bamboo Shoots – Fresh or fermented (known as menma), these give a nice crunchy texture amongst all the other ingredients.
- Spring Onion – We love using the white and green parts for more of an onion kick, but you can just use the green tops.
- Soft Boiled Eggs – Simple soft boiled eggs are amazing with miso ramen. You can always kick it up a notch with ramen eggs or onsen eggs if you’re keen.
- Butter – Aim for 1 small square (around 1 tbsp) per bowl. Pop on top of the sweetcorn for extra buttery goodness. The flavour goes so well with the broth! You could even up the umami even further by using miso butter.
- Pepper – Use freshly cracked black pepper, or top with shichimi togarashi and aonori (seaweed flakes)
- Nori Sheets – Slice into small rectangles.
- Beni Shoga – Iconic pickled red ginger strips add a nice zing to the dish!
- Bean Sprouts – Adds a nice crunch!
- Chashu Pork Slices – Thinly sliced chashu pork pairs beautifully with miso tare broth. Make your own or save time and buy some already cooked and sliced from a local Asian restaurant if you can.
How to make Japanese Miso Ramen:
- 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 butter, corn, spring onion, beni shoga and nori sheets) and serve immediately.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Homemade Ramen Noodles – Make your own ramen at home, it’s so simple, and will make your miso ramen even better!
- Buttered Corn – Up the corn ante and dry fry the kernals for a few minutes to give them a little char before adding a tablespoon butter to coat them. Then add them to the top of your ramen for an extra flavour burst!
- Make it Vegetarian – Omit the pork mince and swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
FAQs
Miso ramen has a base stock made with miso paste, whereas shoyu ramen is soy sauce based. Otherwise, they do share other similar ingredients.
For the best freshness, store all leftover ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Reheat on the stove. It should be fine for up to 3 days. You can freeze the broth only, for an even quicker dinner when you need it most!
No. Miso is a fermented soy bean paste, whereas ramen is a noodle based soup. Miso Ramen is the dish that uses miso paste as the soup base for the ramen.
Variations
- Protein – Skip the mince and serve topped with crispy fried chicken karaage or chicken nanban.
Japanese Noodle Dishes to Feed Your Soul Next:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 160 g ramen noodles dry, allow around 40-60g / 1.4-2.1oz, per person. Double weight for fresh ramen.
For the Pork:
- 100 g minced pork 3.5oz, sub with chicken, beef or tofu
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the Spicy Miso Tare:
- 3 tbsp red miso paste sub half white and half red miso paste or just white for milder flavour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp mentsuyu sub soy sauce
- 2 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp doubanjiang
- 1 tsp rayu chilli oil
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds toasted and ground (see tonkatsu sauce for technique), sub tahini
For the Miso Ramen Toppings – your choice of:
- butter 1 small square around 1 tbsp is common
- corn 1/3 cup per person
- bamboo shoots or menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
- beni shoga
- spring onion
- soft boiled eggs or ramen eggs
- black pepper
- nori sheets
- bean sprouts
- chashu pork slices
Instructions
- Cook ramen noodles according to packet directions. Drain.160 g ramen noodles
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.1 tsp ginger, 3 tbsp red miso paste, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mentsuyu, 2 tsp garlic, 1 tsp doubanjiang, 1 tsp rayu chilli oil, 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
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.100 g minced pork, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp ginger
- 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.3 cups chicken stock
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 butter, corn, spring onion, beni shoga and nori sheets) and serve immediately.butter, corn, bamboo shoots, beni shoga, spring onion, soft boiled eggs, black pepper, nori sheets, bean sprouts, chashu pork slices
Video
Recipe Notes
- Homemade Ramen Noodles – Make your own ramen at home, it’s so simple, and will make your miso ramen even better!
- Buttered Corn – Up the corn ante and dry fry the kernals for a few minutes to give them a little char before adding a tablespoon butter to coat them. Then add them to the top of your ramen for an extra flavour burst!
- Make it Vegetarian – Omit the pork mince and swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Nutrition
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