Japan · 3,5 h · Meat · Soup · For confident cooks
Shōyu Ramen
In English: Pork shoyu ramen
For 6 servings · US units
Clear soy sauce broth, pork belly marinated in the seasoning broth, egg and nori
Ramen is everyday food in Japan, and this bowl shows clearly how it is put together: an unsalted base broth that simmers quietly for two hours, plus a seasoning broth (tare) of soy sauce and bonito flakes that pulls everything together at the end. The pork belly cooks in the broth, then marinates in the seasoning broth and goes onto the noodles in thin slices. With egg, scallions and nori in the bowl it becomes a full meal, and it works in any season.
Ingredients
- 1⅓ lbPorkrolled and tied, simmered in the broth, then thinly sliced
- 6Chicken wingsfor more body in the base broth (optional)
- 1⅛ lbfresh or driedWheat noodles made with alkaline water (kansui), which makes them yellowish, firm to the bite and springy.Substitute: Chinese egg noodles come closest, or spaghetti boiled in water with about a tablespoon of baking soda per litre. The baking soda gives them the colour and bite of ramen, though they never get quite as springy.Read more
- ⅔ cupsoy saucebase of the seasoning broth (tare)
- 12⅔ cupswaterfor the base broth
- ½ ozadd only near the end of cooking or remove before simmeringCaution: Kombu is very high in iodine, so it is best used mainly for making stock rather than eaten in large amounts, especially by people with thyroid conditions.Dried kelp, a brown seaweed sold in stiff, dark green sheets; the foundation of the Japanese stock dashi.Substitute: There is no true substitute. A pinch of MSG supplies the savouriness but not the taste of the sea or the depth; instant dashi granules come close in flavour but usually contain fish, which rules them out for vegetarian dishes.Read more
- 1 ozsteeped in the seasoning broth, then strained out (optional)Paper-thin shavings of dried, smoked and fermented bonito fish, smoky and deeply savoury.Substitute: There is no true substitute, since the combination of smoke and fish savouriness is unique. For dashi, kombu alone or with dried shiitake makes a vegetarian broth that lacks the smoky, fishy note; as a topping on dishes, bonito flakes cannot be meaningfully replaced.Read more
- 4Eggsoft- to hard-boiled, peeled, halved
- 3spring onionsthinly sliced as topping
- 2⅛ ozgingerpeeled, sliced, for the broth
- 6 clovesgarlicsmashed or halved, for the broth
- 2carrotfor the broth or thinly shaved as topping
- 2onionquartered, for the broth (optional)
- 2cut into strips or squares as toppingRoasted seaweed pressed into thin, paper-like sheets, savoury and lightly briny.Substitute: For rolling or wrapping there is no workable substitute, since nothing else has the same form and strength. As a crumbled seasoning, aonori or furikake will do, carrying the taste of the sea but not the roasted note or the texture of the sheets.Read more
- 3½ ozSpinachraw or briefly blanched as topping (optional)
- 5¼ ozdrained, as topping (optional)Caution: Fresh bamboo shoots contain cyanide-releasing compounds when raw and must be peeled and thoroughly boiled before eating.Young, tender shoots of the bamboo plant, mild and crisp with a fibrous bite.Substitute: There is no true substitute; canned water chestnuts match the crunch but are sweeter and less fibrous.Read more
- ¼ cupfor the seasoning broth (optional)Sweet Japanese rice wine for cooking that gives sauces and glazes a mild sweetness and shine.Substitute: Sake or dry sherry with some sugar, about one teaspoon per tablespoon, comes close; sweetness and shine are roughly right, but the rounded, slightly malty depth of mirin is missing.Read more
- 2 tbsptoasted, drizzled into the bowl (optional)Oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, dark and strongly nutty, used by the drop as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no equivalent substitute; at a pinch, steep freshly toasted, crushed sesame seeds in a little neutral oil, which gives the roasted aroma only faintly and without the depth of the oil.Read more
- saltfor the noodle water only; the base broth stays unsalted
Method
- Roll the pork and prep vegetablesButterfly the pork belly open, roll it up tightly and tie it with kitchen twine. Halve or smash the garlic, slice the ginger, quarter the onions, cut one carrot into rough pieces for the broth and set the other carrot aside.
- Start the base brothPut the rolled pork, the chicken wings, the garlic, ginger, onions and the roughly cut carrot in a pot with the water, bring to a boil and cook at a gentle simmer for about 2 hours. Do not salt the broth, and skim off the foam now and then.
- Add kombu and strainAdd the kombu for the last 20 minutes, then strain the broth through a fine sieve. Set the meat and the chicken wings aside.
- Make the seasoning brothFor the seasoning broth, bring water and soy sauce to a boil, add mirin if you like, scatter in the bonito flakes and let them steep off the heat for about 20 minutes.
- Marinate and slice the porkMarinate the rolled pork in the seasoning broth for about 1 hour, lift it out, remove the twine and cut it into thin slices.
- Cook eggs and prep toppingsBoil the eggs for 6 minutes for soft yolks or 9 minutes for firm ones, cool them under cold water, peel and halve them. Slice the scallions into fine rings, cut the nori into strips or squares, shave the reserved carrot thinly, drain the bamboo shoots and wash the spinach, blanching it briefly if you prefer.
- Finish broth and cook noodlesHeat the base broth, pour the seasoning broth through a sieve into it and taste for balance. At the same time, cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water according to the package instructions and drain them.
- Assemble and serveDivide the noodles among warmed bowls, pour over the hot broth and arrange the pork slices, egg, scallions, nori, carrot, bamboo shoots and spinach on top. Finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil if you like and serve at once.
- The quick versionFor a quick version, cook the noodles and thin slices of pork tenderloin directly in a broth of water and soy sauce for about 10 minutes, skipping the long base broth entirely.
Tips and variations
In spring and summer a shorter cooking time suits the broth, which stays clearer and lighter; in autumn and winter let it go longer for something deeper and rounder. For seasoning, light usukuchi soy sauce and real hon-mirin are a good choice, and if you like heat, stir a little fermented chilli bean paste (doubanjiang from Sichuan) into the seasoning broth. Pork tenderloin works in place of belly, and you can make the noodles yourself from flour, water and baked baking soda: rest the dough and roll it through a pasta machine to about spaghetti thickness; Chinese wheat noodles work too. For a vegan bowl, build the broth from soaked shiitake and kombu with onions, leek, tomatoes, carrots and garlic roasted under the grill, and top it with fried tofu and seared king oyster mushrooms. Slices of candy-stripe beetroot, blanched peas, sugar snaps, asparagus or cabbage and a few sesame seeds all belong here as well — put everything on the table in small dishes and let each person build their own bowl.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Cereals containing gluten, Soybeans
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Fish, Sesame
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
