The Japanese comfort food you need to try making at home

There is something deeply satisfying about a bowl of ramen on a cold evening. Rich, steaming broth. Silky noodles. A perfectly soft-boiled egg split open to reveal that jammy golden yolk. Toppings piled just so. It is a dish that looks impossibly restaurant-worthy – and yet a very good version of it is entirely achievable at home, without specialist ingredients or hours at the stove.

The secret to great home ramen is not complexity. It is layering flavour at each step: a deeply savoury broth built on stock and soy, noodles cooked separately so they stay springy, and toppings that each bring something distinct to the bowl. Master those three things and you have a dish that will become a cold night regular.

If you’d rather let someone else do the cooking, Gold Coast readers are in luck. On Saturday 30 May, two of the Gold Coast’s most respected kitchens – Palette Restaurant at HOTA and cult ramen favourite Muso Ramen – are joining forces for a one-night-only six-course collaboration dinner that sounds genuinely extraordinary. More on that at the end.

But first – here’s how to make a beautiful bowl at home.

Easy Home Ramen

A deeply satisfying bowl of ramen built on a rich soy and miso broth, springy noodles and classic toppings. Ready in under an hour and far more impressive than it has any right to be.

Servings 4

Ingredients

1.5 litres good quality chicken stock
500 millilitres water
3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoons sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated
300 grams fresh or dried ramen noodles (or soba noodles as a substitute)
4 large free-range eggs
3 tablespoons soy sauce (for marinating eggs)
1 tablespoons mirin (for marinating eggs)
400 grams pork belly or chicken thigh fillets
1 cups corn kernels (tinned or fresh)
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 nori sheets, cut into rectangles
1 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoons chilli oil or sriracha to serve (optional)

Method

1 Marinate and cook the eggs: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Gently lower 4 large free-range eggs in and cook for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds for a jammy, slightly runny yolk. Transfer immediately to a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes, then peel carefully. Mix 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon mirin (for marinating eggs) with 3 tablespoons of water in a small zip-lock bag or bowl. Add the peeled eggs and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours in the fridge). They will turn a beautiful golden-brown.

2 Cook the pork or chicken: Season 400 grams pork belly or chicken thigh fillets generously with salt. Heat a splash of oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat and cook until golden on all sides and cooked through – about 8 to 15 minutes for chicken thighs, 12 to 15 for pork belly slices. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly. For even richer pork, simmer belly slices in water with a splash of soy and a teaspoon of sugar for 45 minutes until very tender, then slice.

3 Build the broth: Pour 1.5 litres good quality chicken stock and 500 millilitres water into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely grated and 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated and bring to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin and 1 tablespoons sesame oil until smooth, then stir into the broth. Taste and adjust – more soy for saltiness, more miso for depth, a little more mirin for sweetness. Keep at a very gentle simmer while you prepare the noodles. Do not boil the broth hard once the miso is added.

4 Cook the noodles: Cook 300 grams fresh or dried ramen noodles (or soba noodles as a substitute) in a separate saucepan of boiling unsalted water according to packet directions — usually 2 to 3 minutes 03:00 for fresh noodles, 4 to 5 for dried. Drain well and divide among four warmed deep bowls. Cooking noodles separately stops them absorbing too much broth and going soggy.
5Assemble and serve: Ladle the hot broth generously over the noodles in each bowl. Arrange the sliced meat to one side. Halve the marinated eggs and place cut-side up. Add 1 cups corn kernels (tinned or fresh), 1 cups bean sprouts, rinsed, 4 spring onions, finely sliced and 2 nori sheets, cut into rectangles. Scatter 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted over the top. Add a drizzle of 1 teaspoons chilli oil or sriracha to serve (optional) if you like a little heat. Serve immediately – ramen waits for no one.

Notes

Make it your own: Ramen toppings are deeply personal. Other wonderful additions include: sliced bamboo shoots (menma), a knob of butter stirred in at the end, crispy fried shallots, sautéed mushrooms, or a swirl of tahini for extra richness.

Vegetarian version: Replace the chicken stock with a good mushroom or kombu (dried kelp) stock, swap the meat for sautéed shiitake mushrooms, and the broth is beautifully complete without any animal products.

Time-saving tip: The marinated eggs and cooked meat can both be prepared the day before. Store separately in the fridge and simply reheat the meat gently before serving.

Noodle tip: Look for fresh ramen noodles in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores – they make a noticeably better bowl than dried. If you can’t find them, dried soba or even a good quality dried spaghetti cooked al dente works in a pinch.

Want to experience ramen done at the highest level? Head to HOTA on 30 May.

If you are on the Gold Coast and the recipe has whetted your appetite for something a little more special, this is one to book quickly. On Saturday 30 May, Palette Restaurant at HOTA joins forces with cult favourite Muso Ramen for a one-day-only collaboration.

More details here: Book through the HOTA website at hota.com.au