Miso Ramen Recipe

Chinese tradesmen introduced ramen to Japan in the 19th century. However, miso ramen was invented in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in 1955. The story goes that a diner at Aji No Sanpei noodle house requested the chef to put noodles in his pork and miso soup. Another theory says that it was born out of the need for a heartier type of ramen soup during the cold, long winters. Sapporo even has a street called Ramen Alley with several ramen shops located within it. Ramen’s popularity grew wider in the 1960s as the dish spread to other parts of Japan. It is made by cooking miso base, broth and other ingredients together. Besides miso ramen, there are other types of ramen based on the broth used which include shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt) and tonkotsu (pork bone). Traditional toppings include chashu (fatty slices of pork), moyashi (bean sprouts), tamago (eggs), seaweed and corn.