Miso ramen

Method

Tap a step's number to tick it off, and a time to start a timer.

Make the stock

1. 1

   Put the pork bones in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes, adding the chicken carcasses for the last 3 minutes. Drain, rinse every piece under cold running water and scrub off any dark blood. Wash the pot.

2. 2

   Return the bones to the pot with the 3 l cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off the foam for the first 10–15 minutes. Turn the heat down to a steady simmer, with small, lazy bubbles rising across the surface. It will be cloudier than a clear ramen broth, and under miso that's fine.

3. 3

   Simmer uncovered for 2 hours, topping up with hot water if the bones poke out. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and leek greens and simmer for 1 hour more.

4. 4

   Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the solids. You should have about 2 l, and you need 375 ml per bowl. Skim off some of the fat, but leave a little for flavour.

Make the miso tare (while the stock simmers)

5. 5

   Bring the mirin and sake to a boil in a small pan and bubble for 30 seconds. Turn the heat to low, add both misos, the ground sesame, grated garlic and sugar, and stir constantly with a spatula until smooth, glossy and smelling toasty, with the raw edge gone from the garlic, 3–4 minutes. Don't let it catch on the bottom. Scrape it into a bowl.

Fry and finish

6. 6

   Measure 375 ml stock per bowl into a pot and bring it to a simmer. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil for the noodles, and fill the bowls with hot water to warm them.

7. 7

   Heat a wok over high heat until it smokes faintly. Add the lard, then the pork, and fry, breaking it up, until no longer pink and starting to brown and crackle, 2–3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

8. 8

   Add the onion and cabbage and toss for 1–2 minutes, until the cabbage edges start to char. Add the bean sprouts and white pepper and toss for 1 minute more, until glossy and just wilting but still crunchy. If your wok is small or your burner gentle, do this step and the one before in two batches, with half the lard each.

9. 9

   Pour a ladle (about 250 ml) of the hot stock into the wok; it should hiss and boil up at once, lifting the browned bits from the pan. Tip everything into the pot of stock.

10. 10

    Drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook as the packet says, usually 2–4 minutes for thick noodles, stirring early so they don't stick. Meanwhile, loosen the tare with a ladle of stock and whisk it into the pot. Bring the soup just back to a boil, then turn off the heat. A brief bubble is part of the style, but a long boil dulls the miso's aroma.

11. 11

    Taste the soup: it should be rich and fully savoury. If it needs more, whisk in a little extra red miso.

12. 12

    Drain the noodles thoroughly, shaking hard, and divide them among the empty bowls. Ladle over the soup, then heap the pork and vegetables on top. Add the corn and a pat of butter if you're using them, scatter over the spring onions and serve at once, with ichimi on the table. Warn everyone: under its layer of fat, the soup stays scalding for a long time.