Shoyu Ramen Recipe

Blanch bones and chicken: place pork bones and chicken in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Skim scum that rises to the surface, then drain bones and rinse under hot water to remove residual scum. Clean the pot.

Simmer broth: return cleaned bones and chicken to the pot. Add 5 liters of fresh cold water, crushed ginger, halved onions, leek, dried shiitake, and kombu. Slowly bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. When it reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered or partially covered, for 6–8 hours. During the first hour, skim foam and fat periodically.

Add umami finishes: in the last 20 minutes of simmering, remove kombu (to avoid bitterness) and add katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and continue to simmer 15–20 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt only at the end—this broth will be combined with tare which provides most seasoning.

Strain and cool: strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot or container. Discard solids. If making ahead, cool rapidly (ice bath) and refrigerate; fat will rise and solidify—skim if you prefer a lighter bowl, or reserve fat for finishing.

Soak mushrooms: rehydrate any dried shiitake in 60 ml warm water (part of ingredient list). Reserve the soaking liquid and slice mushrooms if desired for additional garnish or discard solids; use liquid in tare.

Make tare: combine dark soy, light soy, mirin, sake, sugar, reserved shiitake soaking liquid, smashed garlic cloves and tied green onion bundle in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and simmer 3–5 minutes to meld flavors and dissolve sugar. Turn off heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain out solids and store tare in a jar in the fridge. Use about 2 tablespoons tare per bowl of ramen (adjust to taste).

Prepare pork: tie the pork belly into a tight roll with kitchen twine so it holds shape while braising. Season lightly with salt.

Sear: in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, sear the rolled pork on all sides until nicely browned (2–3 minutes per side). This step adds flavor but is optional if short on time.

Braise: in a saucepan large enough to hold the pork, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, sugar, crushed garlic, sliced ginger and white parts of green onion. Add the seared pork. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 1.5–2 hours, turning occasionally so the pork braises evenly. The liquid should barely simmer; add a little water if it reduces too much.

Rest and chill: when the pork is tender (a skewer should slide in easily), remove from braising liquid and let cool in the liquid to room temperature for better flavor infusion. For best slicing, refrigerate in the braising liquid until chilled (2–6 hours or overnight). Reserve braising liquid — it can be added to tare or used to glaze chashu when reheating.

Slice: remove kitchen twine, slice the chilled chashu into 5–7 mm (1/4–1/3 inch) rounds. Reheat gently in a little reserved braising liquid or in the hot broth for 30–60 seconds before plating.

Prepare eggs (if making ajitsuke tamago): bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil. Lower room-temperature eggs into water and cook for 6 minutes for jammy yolks (adjust 6–7 minutes depending on desired doneness). Remove and place in ice bath to stop cooking. Once cool, peel and marinate eggs 4–24 hours in a mixture of 60 ml soy sauce, 60 ml mirin, 120 ml water (or use some of the tare diluted) for flavor. Slice in half when ready to serve.

Cook noodles: bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook fresh ramen noodles according to package instructions (usually 60–90 seconds). Do not overcook. Drain well.

Heat broth: bring strained ramen broth to a high simmer. If chilled broth was used, skim excess solidified fat and reheat. For each bowl, ladle about 600 ml hot broth into a serving bowl, then add 2 tablespoons shoyu tare and mix until dissolved. Taste and adjust tare quantity per bowl if desired.

Assemble bowls: place cooked noodles into each bowl. Pour seasoned broth over noodles. Top with 2–3 slices of warm chashu, half a marinated egg, menma, sliced green onions, blanched bean sprouts if using, a sheet of nori, and a few drops of sesame oil if desired. Serve immediately.