MISO “Miso,” sighs Andoh, “is everywhere.” There are hundreds, if not thousands, of varieties of this fermented soybean paste, and Andoh says that it is to Japan what wine and cheese are to Europeans: Each region has its own type of miso, and thus, each has its own miso ramen. With all the different colors of the paste available, you can typically expect a broth that is somewhere between pale yellow and dark reddish brown. The miso itself is tossed in at the very end of the cooking process, because its chemistry is such that the paste separates quite easily, which is why you often see soup bowls with murky clouds lurking at the bottom. And there’s miso’s distinctly sweet aroma, which stands a chance only if it is added at the last minute. Sapporo (152 W 49th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, 212-869-8972) is well regarded for its miso broths, which start at $7.50.

TONKOTSU Lovers of animal fat, pay attention: This ramen is most easily understood as the sum of its words: ton = “pig,” and kotsu = “bone.” Smash a few pig bones, throw them in a pot with water and seasonings like kombu (kelp), iriko, bonito flakes, onion and dried mushrooms, and, as ramen enthusiast David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar says, “boil the shit out of them.” Popular in southern Japan, this broth is the hardest to find done well in New York (fans are apt to head to the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, New Jersey, for their fix). The tonkotsu at Village Yokocho (8 Stuyvesant St between Second and Third Aves, 212-598-3041), which is cooked for three to four days, can be ordered off the menu for $7. Hakata Ippudo, a Japanese chain renowned for its broth, is slated to open at 65 Fourth Avenue in Manhattan this fall—stay tuned.