Miso Base
To Make in Advance: Ramen Noodles, Chashu, Marinated Half-Cooked Egg
Recommended Toppings:
Negi (green onions), sweet corn, chashu (pork belly), butter, half-cooked egg, garnish with a nori (seaweed) square.
Winters in Hokkaido in Northern Japan are severe and the comfort and warmth of a good Miso Ramen have made it a daily staple. The quality of the miso makes all the difference here, so shop around and taste a variety of miso to find one that will add more depth.
Here, I've made a super flavorful Miso Base or misodare that can be enjoyed any time. Store it in the refrigerator and when needed you can make individual servings or enough to feed your whole family - this base offers the convenience of a one-person portion or a meal for many – all according to the base to stock ratio (3 tablespoons Miso Base to 1 cup/235 ml chicken or vegetable stock). Whether you're taking it to work for lunch or preparing a family meal, it will be worth the labor because once you make it, it’s practically instant. The Miso Base can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for one month.
Miso Base for Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and cut into large dice
- ½ onion, peeled and cut into large dice
- ½ apple, cored, peeled and cut into large dice
- 1 celery stalk, cut into large dice
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ bacon fat (recommended), ghee or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
- 1 ½ cups ground pork
- 2 tsp fresh ground ginger
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp kelp granules (optional but recommended)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground sesame seed paste or tahini
- ¾ cup Shiro miso (white miso, which is lighter and sweeter)
- ¾ cup Aka Miso miso (red miso, which is darker and saltier)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, per serving based on the number of servings
Instructions
- Add the carrot, onion, apple, celery and garlic to a food processor. Pulse into a fine chop. It’s better to use a food processor but if you don’t have one, finely chop these ingredients by hand.
- Add bacon fat and 1 tbsp of sesame oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped fruit and vegetables and cook until onions are translucent and apple is tender, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes. When done, turn heat down to medium-low.
- Add your ground pork to the cooked vegetable mixture. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the ginger, sriracha, soy sauce, kelp granules, apple-cider vinegar, and salt. Incorporate well.
- Return the entire mixture to the food processor and pulse until pork is finely ground. It is better to use a food processor, but if you don’t have one, then use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break the mixture into very small pieces in the skillet.
- Add the sesame seed paste and miso to the ground pork mixture and mix well. It should have the consistency of a thick paste. Your base is done.
- Bring the Miso Base and chicken or vegetable stock to a boil (depending on the number of people you are serving, use the ratio of 3 tbsp Miso Base to 1 cup (235 ml) chicken or vegetable stock). Lower heat and let simmer until it’s ready to serve. Use about 2 cups (475 ml) soup per serving. Right before serving, crank the heat backup to boil the soup.
- Boil the noodles—if fresh, boil for about 1 minute; if packaged, boil for about 2 minutes. As soon as they’re done, drain well and separate into serving bowls.
- Pour 2 cups of soup over each bowl of noodles. Top each bowl with desired toppings.
Notes
Tips!
- I like to freeze my base in ice cube trays and pop them out whenever I need them. 1 use 2 ice cubes per cup of stock.
- You can omit the bacon fat if you don’t have any but I wouldn’t recommend it because it adds flavor. Next time you are cooking bacon in the morning, simply save your fat in a jar and refrigerate it!
- A trick to grating ginger: freeze your ginger in pieces with the skin on and take it out of the freezer right before you are ready to grate it. No need to peel the skin off, it is edible. You can use a rasp or find a Japanese ginger grater online or in any Asian cooking store.