Easy Miso Ramen Recipe: How to Make Miso Ramen

Ramen are thin, yellow noodles made from wheat and typically served in a flavorful hot broth. Kansui (alkaline water) gives ramen noodles their unique, springy texture and yellow color. Ramen originated in China, but it became very popular in Japan, particularly after World War II, when Ramen’s popularity rose above other Japanese noodles such as soba and udon. Ramen is a comfort food staple in Japan, and dried noodles and instant ramen packs can be found in Asian grocery stores.

Miso ramen is a Japanese noodle soup flavored with a paste made from fermented soy beans. Miso is one of three types of tare (seasoning) used to flavor ramen broth in Japan—the other two are shio (salt) and shoyu (soy sauce). Miso is a popular additive for vegetarian and vegan ramen broths since it adds umami flavor without animal products.

Japanese ramen starts with chicken stock or a soup base made from pork bones, seafood, or dashi, and the tare is typically added later so that one stock can yield multiple flavors. This also allows the chefs at ramen shops to control the seasoning for each bowl of ramen. For spicy miso ramen, add sriracha to the miso paste.

Miso has a strong umami flavor—the thick paste is deeply savory, with toasty, funky salty-sweet richness. This umami flavor forms the base of much of everyday Japanese cooking.

Ramen can be categorized by the type of tare, or seasoning, that flavors the soup base. There are three main categories:

1. 1. Miso ramen: Ramen seasoned with miso paste (fermented bean paste) has a nutty, umami-rich flavor and makes any soup base taste heartier.
2. 2. Shio ramen: This is ramen primarily seasoned with shio (salt). It has a milder flavor that really lets the flavor of the broth shine through.
3. 3. Shoyu ramen: This type of ramen is primarily seasoned with shoyu (soy sauce), which adds saltiness but also a more complex, umami flavor to the broth.