Skip to Content

Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

Homemade Spicy Miso Ramen isn’t only possible, it is totally within reach. Yes, you are going to spend the better part of a week making this, if you take your time and do it right, but every MINUTE will be worth it when you finally sit down to a giant, steaming-hot bowl of this ramen.

Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

If 2018 was the year of anything for me culinarily, it was most definitely the year of ramen. I have been obsessed. Like, trying to talk my husband into weekend trips to Denver just to get a bowl of the good stuff, obsessed.

This Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen is the direct result of alllllll of that, and hours upon hours of research on how to do this right. 

Have you guys been following along with Ramen week? Probably not since I have not actually TOLD anyone I was doing a ramen week. That’s the thing with blogging. In most cases you actually have to share what you are posting in order for anyone to see it. 😉 

Anyway, this one I am writing for my own posterity rather than for “the google”. Opinions may vary on whether this is technically “right” or not, with a lot of them probably leaning towards NOT.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

SEND ME THE RECIPE:

Get the recipe via email and join our newsletter!

I consent to joining the free OrWhateverYouDo newsletter

You see, traditional ramen includes copious amounts of bonito, which is dried shaved fish, and I was making this ramen seafood and fish-free so that my son could partake. He is allergic to white fish and seafood, so really can’t safely eat most Asian foods because of the hidden ingredients there.

This time – he could.

More Soup For You!

Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

How To Make Delicious Homemade Ramen

This Spicy Miso Ramen was maybe one of the best things I’ve ever made. Even if I don’t ever make it back to Denver again for my precious Uncle ramen, I can still have a bowl of something that is prettttty dang close, and save the frequent flier miles for beachy things, or new places that I’ve never been before. 

Don’t get mad at me, but there are a LOT of steps. This is a marathon, and slow and steady is going to win the race. 

First – get thee to your local Asian grocery store, or get onto Amazon and make sure you have all the right ingredients. Your shopping list will be long, but it’ll be well worth it. 

Follow me on Instagram!

Spicy Miso Ramen Ingredients

  • pork neck bones
  • chicken carcass
  • onions
  • large piece of ginger
  • shallots
  • garlic
  • green onions
  • dried shiitake onions
  • white miso paste
  • red miso paste
  • douban chili paste
  • sesame oil
  • sambal oelek
  • pork belly
  • soy sauce
  • sake
  • mirin
  • sugar
  • bread flour
  • baking soda
  • avocado oil
  • togarashi
  • ground pork
  • plain soy milk
  • eggs
  • nori
  • enoki mushrooms or wood ear mushrooms
  • bamboo

Amazon Homemade Ramen Shopping List

The following items can be hard to source at a regular grocery store. If you don’t have an Asian market within reach, I recommend ordering the following on Amazon. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tonkotsu Broth

Day 1 – Make the broth

Yeah, you read that right. Day 1. This is a several day affair. It needs to be because to make this in ONE day is a project that even the most ambitious among you would probably regret. 

So – day one, get to cooking and get those pork bones boiling! Here’s the post that details the whole process.

Homemade Pork Tonkotsu Broth

I highly recommend checking it out! I’m including the recipe below though so you have one spot to reference.

Keep scrolling after the recipe to find out what you need to do tomorrow!

Yield: 10 servings

Tonkotsu Ramen Broth Recipe

Tonkotsu Broth

This homemade pork ramen is not difficult to make, but it is a bit time-consuming! Fair warning! The end result is WELL worth it. I'm already planning my next bowl.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork neck bones
  • 1 chicken carcass
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 inches ginger, peeled
  • 2 whole shallots
  • 8 whole cloves garlic
  • 3 whole leeks, washed thoroughly and diced
  • 2 bunches green onions, white part only (save the greens for the soup!)
  • 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and diced

Instructions

  1. Place the pork bones into a large stock pot, and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Skim all of the gunk off of the top of the water. Dump the whole pot out, saving the bones, and fill with fresh water. This is cleaning the bones and will make a better stock.Tonkotsu Broth
  3. Place the rest of the ingredients into the post, cover, and let simmer for 8-10 hours, replacing the lost water as necessary to keep the ingredients covered with water. By the end of the cook time many of the chicken bones should be totally broken down, and the pork neck bones should be easily pierced with a knife.
  4. Let cool for a while, and then remove all of the solids you can with tongs and a slotted spoon. Next, strain the broth with cheesecloth or a large clean kitchen towel. I have found the easiest way to do this is to place the cheesecloth in several layers over a large bowl that will fit all of the broth, pour the broth in, and then gather the edges of the cloth together to pull all of the solids out of the broth. You can do this however is easiest for you though!Tonkotsu Broth
  5. This will make enough broth for many bowls of ramen. Freeze the extra to make it easier next time!Tonkotsu Broth

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 164mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 40g

Love this recipe? Tell your friends!

Follow on Instagram for more!

Chashu Pork Belly

Day 2 – Chashu | Miso Paste | Garlic Togarashi Oil

This is the day I’d suggest tackling any remaining broth items that you couldn’t quite get to the day before. Also, get that pork belly cooked and in the fridge overnight, and if you still haven’t had enough yet, mix up the miso paste and togarashi oil. Directions for those are down in the Ramen recipe area.

So, make your chashu pork, or not. This is something you could totally skip if you are looking to reduce the steps here a bit and your ramen won’t suffer at all. As long as you are going to go for it, though, might as well go all out, right?

Yield: 8 servings

Chashu Pork Belly Recipe

CHASU PORK

Tender marinated pork belly is what we are making here with the authentic Chashu pork recipe! You're going to love this on top of your next bowl of homemade ramen.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork belly, with skin
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup sake
  • 1 cup mirin
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1-inch ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 2 shallots, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, greens and whites, sliced

Instructions

  1. Tie up the pork belly in a rolled-up round, with the skin facing out. Chashu Pork
  2. Place all of the marinade ingredients into an oven-safe sauce pan that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients without overflowing. You want the pork to be covered in marinade for the braising portion. Chashu Pork
  3. Heat the liquid on the stovetop until it is boiling. Remove from the heat, place the pork belly into the liquid, cover and place in the oven.
  4. Cook for 3-4 hours at 275°, until the pork is fork-tender.
  5. Place the whole shebang in the fridge overnight.
  6. Cut in half, lengthwise, and then slice into thin pieces. Chashu Pork
  7. Let it reheat in your ramen.
  8. Reserve the cooking liquid for marinated eggs (ajitsuke tamago).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 379Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 1809mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 16g

Love this recipe? Tell your friends!

Follow on Instagram for more!

Plus, if you don’t make the Chashu pork you won’t be able to marinate your eggs! Which is also optional. A plain soft-boiled egg would be pretty spectacular here too. We’re headed towards EPIC and over-the-top with this one though!

Yield: 6 servings

Marinated Soft-Boiled Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)

Marinated Soft-Boiled Egg for Ramen

Marinated soft-boiled eggs are the perfect compliment to your next bowl of homemade ramen! Use the cooking liquid from your Chashu Pork for your marinade!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes 30 seconds
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 9 minutes 30 seconds

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 4-6 cups Charshu braising liquid

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a low simmer, and carefully place the eggs in. Simmer lightly for 4.5 minutes.
  2. Remove from the water and place directly into a bowl of ice water.
  3. Once the eggs are cool, peel carefully and gently, and place into the braising liquid.
  4. Put a paper towel on top of the eggs so it will soak up some of the liquid and ensure that they marinate properly.
  5. Marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours before reheating in your bowl of ramen. The piping hot ramen broth will be just right for that!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g

Love this recipe? Tell your friends!

Follow on Instagram for more!

The spicy miso paste is easy easy and is basically just some chopping and blending. 

Homemade Ramen Noodles

Day 3 – Noodles and (maybe) the MAIN EVENT

Yup! Day 3 and you FINALLY get to actually EAT some of this soup you’ve been working on and worrying about for days and days. IT IS HERE. 

You only have two things left to do today. You have to make up those noodles in the morning if you want to be able to make Ramen for dinner. If you don’t get to it until the afternoon, I’d plan to have Ramen on DAY 4. 

The reason being is that the noodle dough needs some time to settle and relax. I made this without much rest time and it still worked well, but it would’ve been easier to roll with that rest time happening. Use your best judgment. Either way, you’ll have something delicious at the end. 

Here is my post on Homemade Ramen Noodles. Check it out for the whole post, or you can see the recipe below.

Yield: 6 servings

Homemade Ramen Noodles

Homemade Ramen Noodles

Homemade Ramen noodles that have the perfect bite. Make a bit batch and freeze the extras after they are cut for a quick ramen shortcut next time!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 16 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons kansui (see recipe below)

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, kansui and water in your mixer with the dough hook attached, and mix on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. It may be a bit dry. If you need to add a little more water to make it come together, you can. You want it to JUST stick together as this dough is meant to be dryer than you might be used to.
  2. Let your dough rest for 3 hours in the fridge.
  3. Remove from the fridge and let your dough rest on the counter for 1 hour.
  4. Cut the dough into four pieces, and flatten out with your hand.
  5. With your pasta machine on the thickest setting, roll out your dough balls. Fold in half and roll through a few times. It may break up a bit, but will flatten out after a few go-throughs.
  6. Run the dough sheets through the pasta machine until they are at the 3 setting on your machine.
  7. Cut the dough using the spaghetti cutter. Dust with flour if they are sticking at all.Homemade Ramen Noodles
  8. Boil in well-salted water in small batches for 1 minute. The noodles will cook more in the hot Ramen broth.Homemade Ramen Noodles

Notes

Original Recipe by No Recipes!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 11g

Love this recipe? Tell your friends!

Follow on Instagram for more!

How To Put Together The Best Bowl of RAMEN, ever!

If you’ve gotten this far, the battle is mostly won. Or the hard work is mostly over, at the very least. Get ready to enjoy because things are going to happen quickly now. 

Make sure things are close-at-hand and start assembling your bowls together with all of your garnishes inside, ready and waiting for the broth, which is really the star of the show here.

Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

Do you see how yellow those noodles are? That means they are going to be gooooooooood. 

If you made it this far, I have alll of the kudos for you. Post a picture of your own bowl of homemade ramen on instagram and hashtag #orwhateveryoudo

Yield: 6 servings

Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

Marinated Soft-Boiled Egg for Ramen

By the time you get to this point, you might be a little mad at me. I promise that's going to go away when you taste the end result of all of your labors. This Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen is now the stuff of legends in this house.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Spicy Miso Paste

  • 1/2 cup white miso paste
  • 1/2 cup red miso paste
  • 1/3 cup douban chili paste
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 inches ginger, peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons mirin
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons Sambal Oelek Chili Paste

Garlic Togarashi Oil

  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 small shallots, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 green onions, whites only, sliced
  • 1/8 cup togarashi

Ramen

  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons diced dried shiitake
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup spicy miso paste (from above)
  • 6 cups plain unsalted ramen stock
  • 2 cups unsweetened plain soy milk
  • 6 handfuls fresh ramen noodles

Garnish

  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion, green part only
  • 6 soft-boiled marinated shoyu eggs
  • 2 slices chashu pork belly
  • Nori
  • mushrooms
  • bean sprouts

Instructions

Spicy Miso Paste

  1. Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend until everything is combined. Scrape out and place into a separate container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Garlic Togarashi Oil

  1. Add the oil, shallots, garlic, and green onions (whites only) to a small non-stick saute pan over medium-low heat.
  2. Saute the vegetables until they are translucent and tender, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and stir in the togarashi. Set aside to drizzle onto your finished soup.

Ramen

  1. In a well-salted pot of boiling water, boil your noodles for 1.5 minutes. They will cook more in the hot ramen broth.
  2. Place the ground pork, sesame oil, dried shiitake, and the salt and pepper into a large stock pot on medium to medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up the meat, until it is browned and the fat has rendered. Add in the 1/2 cup spicy miso paste and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
  3. Place the ramen stock into the pot, and bring up to a boil.
  4. Add the unsweetened soy milk and stir well.
  5. Place your remaining spicy miso paste into a fine mesh strainer, and then lower into the broth and stir it around a bit (still in the strainer). All of the flavor will work its way into the soup, but none of the solids. You want to keep any solids out of the soup to keep the texture from thickening up. Bring the broth back up to a simmer. Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen
  6. Place a small handful of cooked noodles into each of your bowls, along with the rest of your desired garnishes.
  7. Ladle the hot broth into your bowls and enjoy!

Notes

Heavily inspired by the amazing Lady and Pups Express Ramen recipe.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 992Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 5022mgCarbohydrates: 95gFiber: 8gSugar: 26gProtein: 47g

Love this recipe? Tell your friends!

Follow on Instagram for more!

Nicole Johnson

Nicole Johnson, a self-taught expert in grilling and outdoor cooking, launched Or Whatever You Do in 2010. Her blog, renowned for its comprehensive and creative outdoor cooking recipes, has garnered a vast audience of millions. Nicole's hands-on experience and passion for grilling shine through her work. Her husband, Jeremiah Johnson, also plays a pivotal role in recipe development, adding his culinary flair to the mix. Together, they form a dynamic duo, offering a rich and varied outdoor cooking experience to their followers.

Kelly

Sunday 25th of February 2024

Totally worth it. I made the broth on a saturday and planned to eat the ramen on the following weekend (yeah, I spent the whole week thinking about it and counting minutes). The result is an amazing, mind blowing ramen.

My broth tickened a little bit, I will add more stock next time.

The eggs were a disaster, I couldn't peel them without breaking all of them (this was the worst part of the process :-)

Thank you so much for such a detailed recipe and all the tips. I will definitely save it and make another batch very soon.

Nicole Johnson

Monday 26th of February 2024

Ohhhh the dreaded sticky eggs! That happens sometimes whenever I boil eggs. Fresher eggs are notorious for that.

Bex_mylife

Friday 23rd of September 2022

I am 6 hours into the broth and it isn’t anything near milky, please give me some encouragement that this will change ?

Nicole Johnson

Friday 23rd of September 2022

It really depends on the bones you are using. I boil my broth until the bones basically fall apart when I'm poking them. That can take a really long time. In the broth recipe I specifically say, "Remember, you might curse me a little now (or on hour 6 of boiling this broth) – but you are going to thank me later." That's very true. You're only like halfway through the broth making process. If you are following the directions/ingredients, it should get there eventually!

Matthew

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

Please also do a YouTube video or video on your website for this spicy tonkatsu ramen thanks

Nicole Johnson

Wednesday 21st of September 2022

This ramen takes a solid 3 days to make. I'm probably not doing a YouTube video for it anytime soon. Next time I make it, possibly! But it is a rare occasion because it is so labor-intense.

Matthew

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

How long would I simmer the broth after I add the miso paste to the strainer in the end of the miso paste with ground pork 10 to 15 mins is fine and it’s similar to restaurnt style miso ramen thanks so much and this is great for people who can’t find a great ramen place

Matthew

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

@Matthew, it’s better if there’s also a video of you doing it that’s why thanks I’ll be patent for it it’ll be worth it

Matthew

Thursday 22nd of September 2022

@Nicole Johnson, thank you so think about I doing a video For this spicy ramen think about it if you can’t do YouTube just do the video on your webiste so people can see thanks

Nicole Johnson

Wednesday 21st of September 2022

Just long enough for the paste to dissolve, really. 10-15 minutes is perfect.

Kathryn

Saturday 20th of November 2021

Hi Nicole,

I am currently on Day 3 of my ramen journey.

Two questions for you.

1. Would Avocado Oil work for the Garlic Togarashi Oil recipe, or is there a different oil you would suggest?

2. When you say Togarashi, do you mean the actual dried spice or a store bought Togarashi sauce?

Thank you so much for this recipe - we are having for dinner tonight and are very excited!:)

Nicole Johnson

Saturday 20th of November 2021

Way to go!! You're in the home stretch.

1. Avocado oil would be great here! 2. Togarashi is a dry spice blend. It is pretty widely available in most grocery stores. I've never personally seen a togarashi sauce.

Take pics and tag me when you are enjoying! @orwhateveryoudo

Skip to Recipe