A thick, savory, fermented, and aromatic seasoning paste made in the classic Japanese miso ramen style: red and white miso, sake, mirin, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, onion, and toasted sesame oil. Dissolve it into a bowl of hot broth to build the deep foundation of traditional miso ramen.
Ingredients
- 180 g Japanese red miso
- 120 g Japanese white miso
- 1 piece fresh yellow onion
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 25 g fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 80 ml Japanese cooking sake
- 60 ml Japanese mirin
- 40 ml Japanese soy sauce
- 20 g light brown sugar
- 20 g toasted white sesame seeds
- 30 g Japanese sesame paste (neri goma) or light tahini
- 1 tsp Japanese shichimi togarashi pepper powder
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
Method
- Prepare the aromatics: peel the onion, garlic, and ginger, then grate them very finely or blend them into a puree for 1 minute. The texture should be almost liquid and uniform, with no visible chunks.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat (about 140 °C / 285 °F). Pour in the toasted sesame oil, then add the aromatic puree. Sweat for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly: the mixture should turn translucent and jammy without browning.
- Pour in the sake and mirin. Bring to a gentle simmer (about 90 °C to 95 °C / 195 °F to 205 °F) over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the liquid reduces by one-third, the sharp alcohol vapors dissipate completely, and fine, syrupy bubbles form.
- Reduce the heat to very low (about 80 °C / 175 °F). Whisk in the red miso, white miso, soy sauce, sugar, sesame paste, shichimi togarashi, and white pepper. Stir continuously with a whisk or spatula for 2 minutes until fully dissolved.
- Simmer over low heat between 75 °C and 80 °C (165 °F to 175 °F) for 8 to 10 minutes, constantly scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. The paste should thicken, take on a glossy mahogany sheen, and coat the spatula without ever coming to a rolling boil.
- Coarsely crush the sesame seeds in a mortar for 30 seconds, then fold them off the heat into the warm paste to add subtle crunch.
- Scoop up a small dab of tare and dissolve it in 3 tablespoons of boiling water to check the balance of salt and umami without overwhelming your palate.
- Immediately transfer the warm paste into a clean, airtight jar. Let it cool and rest uncovered at room temperature for 45 minutes before sealing tightly and refrigerating for at least 24 hours to allow the flavors to mature.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 387 kcal
- Protein
- 12.86 g
- Carbohydrate
- 36.91 g
- Fat
- 18.85 g
- Fibre
- 5.47 g
- Calcium
- 100.1 mg
- Iron
- 2.57 mg
- Magnesium
- 63.88 mg
