[Ryuji's Recipe Reproduction] "Generic Yamaoka-ya" Seeps into a Chilled Body! That Special Miso Ramen at Home!?

Enjoy the flavor of a specialty store with familiar ingredients in Ryuji's recipe. From the popular generic series project on Ryuji's Buzz Recipe Channel, I attempted to reproduce the special miso ramen from the ramen chain "Yamaoka-ya". With 24-hour operation and a commitment to in-house cooking, the soup brewed over three days—how well does it reproduce?

What is Yamaokaya's rich tonkotsu ramen?

Source: Yamaokaya Official Website.

Yamaokaya, a ramen chain with 150 locations nationwide. Committed to the best ramen, the restaurant insists on direct management, operating 24 hours a day with on-site cooking, simmering the broth for a full three days, which is a drop of umami derived from pork bones. The noodles are thick with a soft texture, yet firm at the core, allowing the aroma of wheat to be felt.

Recreating Ryuji's generic "Yamaokaya Special Miso Ramen"

Main ingredients of the generic Yamaokaya special miso ramen.

【Ingredients for 2 servings】

Thick noodles 2 bundles (260g)
Block meat for chashu 500g
Soy sauce 4 tablespoons
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Ajinomoto 6 shakes
*Optional: Garlic powder 6 shakes

= Soup =
Water 600cc
Pork belly 70g
Homemade Yamabuki miso 10g
Garlic 10g
Ginger 5g
Gelatin 1 tablespoon
Chinese seasoning 1 teaspoon
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Miso 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons
Sugar 4 pinches
Salt 2 pinches
Pepper 8 shakes
Shichimi pepper 12 shakes
Garlic powder 12 shakes
Lard 4 tablespoons
Ajinomoto 20 shakes

= Toppings =
Frozen spinach appropriate amount
Chopped green onions appropriate amount
Nori appropriate amount
*Optional: rice
★ For a change of flavor, doubanjiang

【Instructions】

* Normally, pork loin block meat is used. The author used pork belly block meat as it was unavailable.

1. Make instant chashu

Mix soy sauce, sugar, and ajinomoto into the block meat for chashu, and pierce the meat all over with a fork to let the flavors soak in. Transfer to a heat-resistant container, cover with plastic wrap, and heat for 5 minutes on each side at 600 watts. After heating, if the meat is still undercooked, heat additionally and let it rest to continue cooking with residual heat.

2. Make the soup

Cut the thinly sliced pork belly, and add water, pork belly, garlic (peeled and cut in half), ginger (sliced with the skin on), Chinese seasoning, and gelatin powder to a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Blend the soup

Blend the simmered soup, crushing the pork belly, garlic, and ginger. According to Ryuji, this method allows you to easily make tonkotsu soup.

According to Ryuji, this miso is recommended for recreating Yamayokoya. It seems that the richness and color of the soup resemble that of Yamayokoya quite a bit.

4. Seasoning the soup

Add soy sauce, family-recipe Yamabuki miso, sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, lard, and MSG to the smooth soup blended with a blender, then mix well with a whisk and bring to a boil.

Using a whisk helps the miso dissolve well.

5. Boiling the noodles

By boiling the noodles in plenty of water, it becomes less slimy. Since the author likes firm noodles, they removed the noodles a little earlier than the boiling time stated in the instructions and drained them.

6. Serve in a ramen bowl to complete

Add the soup and noodles to the bowl, then top with heated spinach, chashu, seaweed, and green onions, and it's ready.

Ryuji's "Generic Yamaokaya Special Miso Ramen" is complete! How does it taste?

Even though I made it myself, I couldn't help but say, "It looks delicious!" The author immediately snapped a photo and slurped the ramen. And without hesitation, I exclaimed, "So good!" I was amazed at how closely it resembled eating Yamaokaya ramen at home.

The umami unique to pork bones, which I wouldn't believe was made from pork belly, is perfectly accented by ginger and garlic. The richness of the miso is well-balanced and clings nicely to the thick noodles.

Due to the lighting, the soup appears pale, but to the naked eye, it has a deep miso color similar to Yamaokaya. The spiciness of the chili pepper is also just the right accent for the miso!

A classic way to enjoy family-style ramen is to dip the large seaweed in the soup and eat it with rice! When I tried it, the aroma of the seaweed wafted through my nose, reaching a level of deliciousness that could be considered food terrorism. I've eaten family-style ramen many times, but I regretted not trying this before. I've made Ryuji's generic series recipes several times, but personally, I thought this recipe had particularly high reproducibility. It's a bowl that anyone who loves ramen, those who don't have a Yamaoka-ya nearby, and those who haven't tried Yamaoka-ya yet, will be satisfied with. I highly recommend attempting to make it at home.

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