Mirin

Clear, amber broth — chicken and dashi base with a shoyu tare made from three soy sauces. The working person's ramen. Doable in 4 hours.

18-hour pork bone broth. Creamy, rich, cloudy white. This is a weekend project, not a weeknight dinner. Worth every hour.

Crispy bottom, steamed top, juicy inside. The potsticker technique makes them perfect every time.

Finely chopped shiitake and oyster mushrooms with pressed tofu and chives. Squeeze out all the moisture — this is the critical step.

Korean twist on gyoza: kimchi and glass noodles in the filling, no pleating required. Just fold and pinch.

Kombu-shiitake broth only — no chicken. Soy tare adjusted for the lighter base. Tofu, roasted king oyster mushrooms on top.

2-hour version using chicken backs instead of pork trotters. Still rich, still real. For when you can't do the full 18-hour odyssey.

Minced shrimp filling with ginger and chives. Pan-fried and steamed the same way. More delicate than pork, quicker to cook.

A teaspoon of yuzu juice in each bowl transforms the whole thing. Bright, citrusy, complex. Tokyo ramen shops do this in winter.