Miso Ramen: Sapporo Style

Miso ramen — invented in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in the 1950s — uses miso as the tare base, producing a heartier, more robust bowl appropriate to Hokkaido's cold climate. The miso tare must be fried before the broth is added — the frying step (identical to the mole technique MX-01 and the doubanjiang frying of CC-06) develops the miso's Maillard complexity before the liquid is added.

• The fried miso tare principle is the Japanese expression of the same concept as mole-frying (MX-01), doubanjiang-frying (CC-06), and Indian masala paste cooking in oil — fat-based activation of fermen