Miso Ramen

A Sapporo specialty — rich miso-blended broth with thick, curly noodles, often topped with corn, butter and bean sprouts.

Miso ramen was invented in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in 1955 at a restaurant called Aji no Sanpei, when the owner began mixing miso paste into pork broth at a regular customer's suggestion. It proved so popular that miso ramen became the signature style of Hokkaido, adapted to the region's cold winters with a heartier, saltier, fattier broth than broths found further south, and toppings like corn and butter reflecting Hokkaido's dairy and agricultural industries. It remains the dish most associated with Sapporo's ramen alley (Ramen Yokocho), a narrow lane packed with small ramen shops.

The miso must be fried briefly in oil with garlic, ginger and chili before the broth is added, which is what gives miso ramen its deep, toasted aroma rather than tasting simply of raw miso stirred into stock. Corn and a knob of butter are traditional Hokkaido-style toppings, not optional additions.