Sapporo Miso Ramen (札幌味噌ラーメン)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with clean cloth
• •Wok or wide heavy pan
• •Large noodle pot
• •Ramen bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the broth

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water with the chicken, pork bones, onion, sliced ginger, and crushed garlic. Bring the pot up slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, before it boils.

   That pale bloom on konbu is flavor, not dirt. Boil the kelp and the broth turns bitter and slick, so remove it just before the roll begins.
2. 2

   Simmer and strain

   Let the broth simmer quietly for about 1 hour, skimming the gray foam from the surface. Keep it below a hard boil so the fat and minerals don't churn into a muddy soup. Add the katsuobushi, turn off the heat, and leave it for 3 minutes. Strain through a cloth-lined sieve and don't press the solids.

   The bonito gives depth quickly. Squeezing it gives you the rough, oily taste as well, and that's not the part you invited.
3. 3

   Make the tare

   Stir together the red miso, white miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and sesame oil until smooth. This is the tare, the concentrated seasoning that decides the bowl. It should taste too strong by itself because the broth and noodles will soften it.

4. 4

   Heat the bowls

   Warm four ramen bowls with hot water, then empty and dry them. A cold bowl steals heat from the soup before the noodles reach the table, and Sapporo ramen is built to stay hot.

5. 5

   Stir-fry the pork

   Heat the lard in a wok or wide heavy pan over high heat. Add the pork belly and cook until the edges lose their raw pink and begin to gloss. Add the grated garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Don't let them brown hard, or the soup will taste scorched instead of warm.

6. 6

   Wake the miso

   Add the tare to the hot fat and pork, stirring for 30 seconds until it smells rounded and deep. This is the detail that decides the bowl. Miso stirred cold into broth tastes flat; miso warmed in fat opens up and gives the soup its Sapporo character.

7. 7

   Add vegetables

   Add the sliced onion, bean sprouts, and cabbage. Toss hard for 1 minute, just until the sprouts shine and the cabbage edges soften. They should stay crisp because they finish in the bowl, and limp vegetables make a tired ramen.

8. 8

   Build the soup

   Pour in the strained broth and bring it just to a lively simmer, scraping the pan so the miso and pork fat join the liquid. Taste once. If it needs salt, add a little soy sauce; if it feels thin, simmer one minute longer, not ten. Ramen broth should arrive strong, not cooked to death.

9. 9

   Cook the noodles

   Boil the ramen noodles in plenty of water according to the package timing, usually 2 to 3 minutes for fresh noodles. Stir as they go in so they don't clump. Drain hard with a few sharp shakes, because extra cooking water dulls the broth.

10. 10

    Serve at once

    Divide the noodles among the warmed bowls. Ladle the hot soup, pork, and vegetables over them, lifting the toppings into a small mound. Finish with corn, scallions, a small pat of butter if using, and a thin dot of lard on the surface. Serve immediately, while the noodles still have their spring.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh curly ramen noodles if you can. Their spring and curl hold the miso broth properly. Dried noodles will feed you, but they won't give the same chew.
• •Red miso gives the bowl backbone, while a little white miso rounds the edge. All red can turn stern; all white can taste sweet and shy. Together they behave.
• •Bean sprouts must be well drained before they hit the pan. Water left on them cools the fat, and then you stew the vegetables when you meant to stir-fry them.
• •Butter and corn are famous Sapporo finishes, but use them with restraint. They should mark Hokkaido, not bury the miso.

Advance Preparation

• •The broth can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Lift off excess solid fat if you like, but keep some for body.
• •The miso tare keeps 1 week refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before using so it melts into the hot fat cleanly.
• •Slice the vegetables the same day you serve the ramen. Bean sprouts and cabbage lose their snap if washed and held too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 730g)