u/gazeboism

After my first bowl using the costco tonkotsu broth, I decided to try something a little more challenging: a more involved broth and a chashu topping. I have a tub of red miso paste (pictured) that I got from Marukawa Miso from a sweet old lady in Fukui, Japan. So I thought I'd give it a shot. I made a non-rolled chashu (https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-chashu/#recipe) and followed this recipe (https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-chashu-miso-ramen/#recipe) from Just One Cookbook for the miso broth.

Added some negi (Japanese long onion) and corn alongside the chashu for toppings.

I was shocked by the results, it's an incredible recipe. Definitely give it a shot. Next, I'll try a rolled chashu and maybe a broth with a tare. Or maybe a shio. Open to suggestions

Started my journey today. It's not the prettiest but it was delicious. I'll improve in presentation. Already teeming with more ideas for future bowls. Including miso ramen with red miso paste I got from Marukawa Miso in Fukui, Japan.

Broth is tonkotsu from costco. Diluted as per suggestion of this subreddit. After experimenting and tasting, I landed on a 3 parts broth 1 parts water ratio. Added some fly by Jing chili crisp for some extra spice and depth. I think I would try cutting the tonkotsu 50/50 with a low sodium chicken broth next time. Boiled it for a while to increase thickness before adding to the bowl.

Noodles were Sun brand noodles I got from whole foods. Very nice texture to them. Still trying to hunt down the thicker version near me.

The ajitama I soft boiled for 6 min then marinated for 24hrs. Added some green onion as garnish. Didn't have the time today to buy and add other garnishes like bean sprouts or bamboo. Next time.

The meat was a pan cooked chicken thigh (skin on then cut from the bone after) with a garlic soy honey glaze. I have since bought pork belly and I'm going to try my hand at legit chashu soon.

Anyways, I know it's not the most beautifully plated or presented but it legitimately tasted better than anything I can find at a restaurant near me. Gotta start somewhere.

I thought I had tried ramen before...until I went to Japan. Probably more of a product of where I live (north Alabama in the U.S.) but we quickly realized what ramen could be. Since then, it has become my favorite food. After the first mind blowing bowl, I tried to make an effort to eat a lot of varieties of ramen while still maintaining to try other local foods.

The bowls in order with their tabelog scores:

Afuri karakurenai harajuku (Tokyo) 3.39
Jingoro ramen (takayama) 3.48
Ramen katamuki ラーメン カタムキ (kyoto) 3.11
Tanimoto-ke (osaka) 3.58
ginjo Ramen Kubota (kyoto) 3.73
Itoi Tokyo Ramen (Tokyo station) 3.61
oreshiki Jun (Tokyo station) 3.55

It's hard to pick a favorite because they all felt like they offered something different. But the most surprising, by far, was Ramen Katamuki with their chicken broth ramen in kyoto. Soooo creamy and delicious. But overall, I think my favorite was Afuri for their insane braised pork and spicy broth. I'm new to the world of ramen and excited to try making my own.