Miso Ramen

Gather all the ingredients. Mince the garlic, ginger, and shallot. Grind sesame seeds. In a medium pot, heat sesame oil over medium heat and cook the minced garlic, ginger, and shallot until fragrant. Add the meat and increase heat to medium high. Cook the meat until no longer pink. Add spicy bean paste (La Doubanjiang) and miso. And add sesame seeds and sugar and mix well. Add sake, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Keep the ramen soup simmered. Noodles will be done cooking in less than 2 minutes. Therefore, prepare ramen toppings first so you can serve the hot ramen immediately. Bring a large pot of un-salted water to a boil (ramen noodles already have salt in the dough) While boiling, take some hot water into serving bowls to warm up the bowls. Loosen up the noodles and cook according to the package instructions. I usually cook the noodles al dente (about 15 seconds earlier than suggested time). When noodles are done, quickly pick them up with a mesh sieve. You don’t want to dilute your soup, so make sure you drain the water well. Serve the noodles into bowls. Add the soup and top with various toppings you’ve prepared. I put chashu, ramen egg, spicy bean sprout salad, corn, scallion, shiraga negi, pickled red ginger, and a sheet of nori.