The defining bowl of Sapporo: rich red-miso broth, alkaline curly noodles, ground pork, bean sprouts, butter and sweet corn, sealed under a heat-stable lard cap.

Founder Morito Omiya created Sapporo miso ramen at Aji no Sanpei in 1955, blending three types of miso into a thick pork-bone broth that locals carried home through Sapporo's winters. The bowl spread first through Ramen Yokocho, the 1951-founded alley just south of Susukino, then nationally; today nearly every prefecture's ramen kitchens serve a Sapporo miso variant. Aji no Sanpei still pours the original recipe from a counter inside Daimaru Fujii Central on Minami 1-jo Nishi 3.

Where to eat Sapporo Miso Ramen in Sapporo

5 editor picks for Sapporo Miso Ramen in Sapporo, ranked by editorial score. All Sapporo signature dishes · Sapporo Miso Ramen across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 22 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g pork belly, plus pork bones for stock if available
  • 2 packs alkaline ramen noodles
  • 3 tbsp red miso (aka)
  • 1 tbsp white miso (shiro)
  • 1 tbsp ground sesame paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece ginger, grated
  • 100g bean sprouts
  • 100g cabbage, shredded
  • 2 tbsp sweet corn (frozen Hokkaido if available)
  • 30g butter for the cap
  • 1 tbsp lard or sesame oil
  • 1 litre pork-bone stock
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin

Method

  1. Simmer pork-bone stock 90 minutes if making from scratch; otherwise use 1 litre pork-bone broth.
  2. In a wok or large pan, heat lard or sesame oil over high. Add garlic and ginger; fry 30 seconds.
  3. Add ground pork, bean sprouts and cabbage; stir-fry 2 minutes until pork is cooked through.
  4. Push solids to one side. Add red and white miso plus sesame paste to the wok; cook for 1 minute to take the raw edge off the miso.
  5. Pour pork-bone stock into the wok; whisk to dissolve the miso. Add soy sauce and mirin. Bring to a simmer.
  6. Cook noodles in a separate pot of salted water 30 seconds shorter than package directions.
  7. Drain noodles tight and divide between two bowls. Pour boiling broth over the noodles.
  8. Top each bowl with sweet corn, sliced chashu (or the stir-fried pork), a knob of butter and a sprinkle of ground white pepper. Serve immediately.

Editor tip. The lard or butter cap is structural, not decorative; it seals heat in for winter eating. Don't skip it.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Pork.