Medium | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 25 min | Serves: 2

Ramen is one of those dishes where the gap between the instant version and the real thing is enormous, and the surprising part is that most of the gap is closed not by spending eight hours making tonkotsu broth, but by understanding what makes ramen taste like ramen. The answer is tare — the concentrated seasoning paste stirred into the broth at the end. For miso ramen, that tare is built around white or red miso, toasted sesame oil, soy, garlic, and ginger. Get the tare right and the broth sings. Get it wrong and you have beige soup with noodles in it. This recipe builds a tare that does the work, pairs it with a simple but properly flavoured broth, and gives you ramen that actually tastes like something rather than something approximating something else.

Ingredients

Tare

  • 3 tbsp white miso paste (or a mix of white and red for more depth)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 tsp chilli paste or sriracha (optional, but recommended)

Broth

  • 1 litre good-quality chicken stock
  • 200ml water
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

To serve

  • 200g ramen noodles (or substitute dried spaghetti in a pinch — no shame in it)
  • 2 soft-boiled eggs (6 minutes from boiling water, peeled)
  • 2 chicken thighs, or 150g leftover roast chicken, shredded
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 sheet nori, halved
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • A drizzle of chilli oil

Method

  1. Make the tare Combine all tare ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. It should be thick, dark, and intensely savoury. Taste it — it will be salty and strong, which is correct. It dilutes into the broth, so it needs to be concentrated. Set aside.

  2. Cook the chicken (skip if using leftover roast chicken) Season two chicken thighs and cook skin-side down in a hot pan for 7–8 minutes until the skin is deep golden and rendered. Flip and cook for another 5–6 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice or shred.

  3. Build the broth Bring the chicken stock, water, soy, and sesame oil to a gentle simmer in a medium pot. Don’t let it boil hard — you want a quiet simmer that keeps the broth clear.

  4. Cook the noodles Cook the ramen noodles in a separate pot of unsalted boiling water according to the packet instructions (usually 2–3 minutes). Drain and divide between two deep bowls.

  5. Assemble Stir 2–3 tablespoons of tare into the simmering broth, adjusting to taste. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles. Add the chicken, a soft-boiled egg halved lengthways, spring onions, a sheet of nori pressed against the inside of the bowl, a scattering of sesame seeds, and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Cook With Your Senses

Inspired by Ethan Chlebowski’s sensory approach to cooking — the idea that your senses should tell you more than a timer ever could.

  • Look: The broth should be golden and slightly translucent, not murky. The tare will darken it a little. If it looks grey and cloudy, the heat was too aggressive at some point.
  • Listen: The broth should murmur, not boil. A rolling boil will make it cloudy and slightly bitter. Patience here pays off.
  • Smell: Good ramen broth smells like roasted chicken, sesame, and something savoury underneath — the miso. If it smells flat, add another half tablespoon of tare.
  • Touch: The noodles should be cooked through but still have a slight chew. Rinse them briefly in cold water after draining if you’re not assembling immediately — it stops them becoming a starchy clump.
  • Taste: The broth should be deeply savoury with a hint of sweetness from the mirin. The miso should be present but not overwhelming. If it tastes one-note salty, a tiny pinch of sugar will round it out. If it tastes thin, more tare.

Notes

  • White miso (shiro miso) gives a milder, sweeter result. Red miso (aka miso) is saltier and more intense. A 50/50 blend is a good middle ground.
  • The tare keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. Make extra — it’s useful stirred through stir-fries, spread on toast with butter, or used as a quick marinade for chicken.
  • A proper soft-boiled ramen egg is traditionally marinated in soy and mirin overnight after peeling. If you have the time, do it — the whites turn a deep mahogany and the flavour is significantly better.
  • Frozen ramen noodles from an Asian supermarket are dramatically better than dried packets. Worth the trip.

Inspiration

Adapted for Ryan’s kitchen. Original inspiration: seriouseats.com — Miso Ramen