Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu ramen is Tokyo's style and the oldest of the major ramen families — the bowl that set the template when Chinese noodle stalls opened in the capital in the early twentieth century. The broth is clear amber: chicken or dashi stock seasoned with a blended soy tare, light enough to let individual ingredients register on the palate. Narutomaki — the spiral fish cake — is both garnish and timestamp, unchanged since the first Shinjuku stalls. The curly noodles carry broth into every fold. A drizzle of sesame oil goes in at the final moment, not simmered into the pot; it sits on the surface as a scent layer rather than disappearing into the stock.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
Slow simmered
Low and slow cooking
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 2 servings
- 1.5L chicken bone stock
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake
- 400g pork belly, rolled and tied with kitchen string
- 4 large eggs
- 300g fresh ramen noodles
- 100g bamboo shoots (menma), rinsed
- 4 sheets nori
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 4 slices narutomaki fish cake
- 1 tsp sesame oil
How to make it
- 1Simmer chicken bone stock with a 5cm piece of ginger, 3 garlic cloves and 2 spring onions for 3–4 hours, strain and discard solids.
- 2Mix soy sauce, mirin and sake in a small pan, simmer 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol — this is the shoyu tare.
- 3Roll pork belly tightly, tie with kitchen string, sear on all sides in a hot pan, then braise in 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and 100ml water on low heat for 1.5 hours; rest 15 minutes before slicing into 1cm rounds.
- 4Soft-boil eggs exactly 6.5 minutes, cool in cold water, peel and submerge in the remaining chashu braising liquid for at least 4 hours.
- 5Cook noodles per packet, drain; ladle hot broth into bowls (2 tbsp shoyu tare per bowl), add noodles and top with sliced chashu, halved egg, bamboo shoots, nori, spring onions, narutomaki and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
