Miso ramen

Namiko Hirasawa Chen’s miso ramen builds a savoury pork-and-chicken broth around miso, spicy doubanjiang and dark roasted sesame oil. Fresh ramen noodles are selected for the finished bowls.

Garlic, ginger and shallot are finely prepared, and toasted white sesame is partly ground for texture. The aromatics cook in sesame oil before ground pork, miso and chili-bean paste join the pot.

Ground sesame and sugar are stirred in, followed by sake and chicken stock. The broth simmers and is tasted before kosher salt and white pepper are added, rather than assuming every stock needs the same seasoning.

Fresh noodles cook separately in unsalted boiling water. Some of that same water first warms the serving bowls and is discarded; the drained noodles receive broth, prepared chashu, ramen egg, blanched sprouts, corn, nori and two onion toppings.

All seven toppings are optional in this selected preparation, as are chili oil, pickled red ginger and extra white pepper at the table. The author serves piping-hot bowls with firm noodles and varied topping textures, within her Japanese noodle repertoire.