Peanut Pumpkin Miso Ramen
Creamy, savory, and gently spiced, this pumpkin miso ramen combines roasted Hokkaido pumpkin with peanut butter, coconut milk, miso, and a touch of chili. The silky pumpkin broth coats the ramen noodles while a soft boiled egg, roasted pumpkin, fresh radish sprouts, sesame, and crunchy peanut puffs add contrasting textures. It is a cozy autumn ramen recipe perfect for a comforting dinner.
20 min
45 min
?
Time for chilling, freezing, resting, marinating or rising, in addition to preparation and cooking.
5 min
🍽️ Servings: 2
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin
- 500 g Hokkaido pumpkin
- 10 g neutral oil
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (1 g)
- ½ tsp ground ginger (1 g)
- ½ tsp ground allspice (1 g)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt (3 g)
Pumpkin Miso Broth
- 7.5 g neutral oil
- 10 g garlic
- 12.5 g fresh ginger
- ½ tsp chili flakes (1 g)
- 30 g miso paste
- 40 g smooth peanut butter
- 500 g chicken or vegetable stock
- 200 g full fat coconut milk
- 15 g soy sauce
- 10 g rice vinegar
To Serve
- 200 g ramen noodles
- 2 eggs (100 g)
- 20 g bean, radish or broccoli sprouts
- 20 g spring onions
- 40 g crunchy peanut puffs
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (28 g)
- 2 tsp chili flakes (4 g)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds (6 g)
- 2 roasted Hokkaido pumpkin wedges, reserved from above
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 °C / 428 °F.
- Wash the Hokkaido pumpkin thoroughly. Cut it in half and remove the seeds and fibrous center. Do not peel it. Cut the pumpkin into thick wedges.
- Toss the pumpkin with the neutral oil, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and salt until every piece is evenly coated. Arrange the wedges in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Roast for about 30 minutes, until completely tender and nicely caramelized around the edges.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, gently crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife to make it easier to peel. Peel and cut into very thin slices.
- Peel the ginger and cut it into very thin slices. If the ginger has an irregular shape, scrape away the skin with the edge of a teaspoon.
- Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven. Reserve attractive wedges for serving. Keep all of the remaining roasted pumpkin, with the skin on, for the broth.
- Heat the neutral oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic, sliced ginger and chili flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant without allowing the garlic to brown.
- Reduce the heat. Add the miso paste and peanut butter and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add all of the remaining roasted pumpkin. Gradually pour in the stock while stirring to incorporate the miso and peanut butter.
- Add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Blend the broth until completely smooth, creamy and glossy.
- Pass the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing it through with a ladle or silicone spatula until silky smooth.
- Return the strained broth to low heat. Add the rice vinegar and stir. Keep the broth hot without aggressively boiling it.
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully pierce a small hole in the rounded end of the egg with an egg piercer or clean needle.
- Gently lower the egg into the boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds.
- Transfer the egg immediately to ice water and leave until completely cool.
- Gently tap the egg all over to create lots of tiny cracks. Peel carefully under water and cut in half.
- Finely slice the spring onions.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles according to the package instructions and drain thoroughly.
- Add the cooked ramen noodles to a serving bowl and pour over the hot pumpkin miso broth.
- Add the spring onions and radish sprouts.
- Add the soft boiled egg halves and the reserved roasted pumpkin wedge.
- Add the crunchy peanut puffs immediately before serving so they remain crisp.
- Finish with chili flakes, sesame seeds and sesame oil.
Tips & More Info
Why peanut puffs?
Peanut puffs might sound unusual in ramen, but they work surprisingly well here. Their roasted peanut flavor reinforces the peanut butter in the broth, while their light crunch creates contrast with the creamy pumpkin broth and soft noodles. Add them right before serving so they stay crisp.
Why is Hokkaido pumpkin especially good for this ramen?
Hokkaido has dense flesh and a naturally rich pumpkin flavor, so it adds body without making the broth watery. Its thin skin softens during roasting and can be blended directly into the soup.
Why roast the pumpkin instead of boiling it?
Roasting removes some moisture while concentrating the pumpkin flavor and creating caramelized edges. This gives the finished broth more depth while helping it stay thick and creamy.
Why strain the broth after blending?
Straining removes tiny pieces of pumpkin skin, ginger, and garlic that can remain even after thorough blending. The result is a noticeably smoother broth that coats the noodles more evenly.
Peanut butter does more than add peanut flavor
Peanut butter adds richness and helps give the broth its creamy, substantial texture. Its roasted flavor also works particularly well with sweet pumpkin and savory miso.
Add the rice vinegar at the end
The acidity keeps the rich coconut milk, peanut butter, and pumpkin from tasting too heavy. Adding it near the end preserves its fresh brightness.
Why pierce the eggs before boiling?
Piercing a tiny hole in the rounded end of the egg releases some of the trapped air from the air pocket as the egg heats. This can help reduce cracking and gives the cooked egg a slightly neater shape. Keep the hole very small so the egg white does not leak out.
Why transfer the eggs straight into ice water?
The ice bath rapidly pulls heat from the outside of the eggs. Heat still moves through the egg as it cools, but rapid chilling limits how much further the proteins can set and makes the 6 minute 30 second result much more repeatable.
Why crack the shell all over before peeling?
Lots of tiny cracks make it easier to remove the shell in larger sections without damaging the soft egg white underneath. Peeling under water also helps water work its way between the shell and the egg, making a soft boiled egg easier to handle.