Classic Japanese Ramen
Ramen arrived in Japan with Chinese immigrants in the late nineteenth century, as a version of Chinese wheat noodle soup. The Japanese transformation was total: over the following decades, distinct regional styles emerged — tonkotsu in Hakata, miso-based in Sapporo, soy-seasoned shoyu in Tokyo — each reflecting local ingredients and taste preferences. The dish is now so thoroughly Japanese that its Chinese origin is rarely acknowledged. The broth is what the dish is about. Tonkotsu broth requires pork bones cooked at a rolling boil for ten to twelve hours; the sustained heat breaks down collagen and emulsifies the fat into the liquid, producing the signature milky white, deeply savory result. Tare — a concentrated seasoning sauce — is added directly to each bowl before the broth goes in, not to the pot, allowing each serving to be adjusted individually.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
Slow simmered
Low and slow cooking
Overnight broth
Start the day before
Ingredients 4 servings
- 4 portions fresh or dried ramen noodles (about 400g total)
- 1L chicken or pork bone broth
- 100ml soy sauce (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 200g pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced (chashu)
- 4 soft-boiled eggs (marinated overnight in soy sauce and mirin)
- 2 sheets nori (dried seaweed), halved
- 4 tbsp bamboo shoots (menma)
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
How to make it
- 1Combine the broth with soy sauce and mirin; simmer 10 minutes and taste — the broth should be deeply savoury, slightly salty, with a hint of sweetness.
- 2Ramen eggs (best made the night before): boil eggs for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds, shock in ice water, peel, and marinate overnight in 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, and 50ml water.
- 3Chashu pork: roll pork belly tightly, tie with kitchen string, and braise in soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar over a gentle simmer for 2 hours until tender.
- 4Slice when cool.
- 5Cook noodles per package directions (usually 2–3 minutes), drain, and portion into warmed bowls.
- 6Ladle hot broth over.
- 7Top with 2–3 slices of chashu pork, a halved ramen egg, a piece of nori standing upright, bamboo shoots, spring onions, and a drop of sesame oil.
- 8Serve immediately.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
