Shio Ramen Recipe

Blanch bones

Place pork neck bones, pork trotters (if using), and chicken carcass in a large stockpot. Cover with cold water (about 6 cups beyond bones) and bring to a rolling boil. Boil vigorously 10 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse bones and pot to remove scum.

Simmer broth

Return cleaned bones and carcass to pot. Add 5 liters fresh cold water, dried shiitake, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Do not boil hard; maintain a low simmer with occasional skimming of foam. Simmer for 6–8 hours (or up to 10 hours for richer collagen extraction), topping up water to keep bones covered.

Add kombu and katsuobushi (dashi integration)

In the final 45 minutes of simmering, add kombu and simmer 10 minutes longer without boiling. Remove kombu, then add katsuobushi and simmer 5–10 minutes. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot; discard solids. Taste and adjust saltiness with light soy sauce, mirin, and initial 1–2 tsp of salt; reserve final seasoning after adding tare.

Heat neutral oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and chopped shallots, stirring often until golden and fragrant, about 6–8 minutes. Add grated ginger and white pepper in the final 1 minute and cook 30–60 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Optionally blend into a coarse paste for a smoother infusion, or keep chunky. Reserve.

In a small saucepan, render pork back fat over low heat until melted and slightly golden. Add chicken fat and warm together gently until combined. Stir in sesame oil. Optionally, briefly brown a small spoonful of the sofrito in this fat to marry flavors. Keep warm; this will be spooned into bowls to give the soup surface gloss and flavor.

Dissolve 2 tbsp kosher salt into 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar if using. Taste and adjust: the tare should be noticeably salty and a touch bright — it will season the broth when added to individual bowls.

Bring 4 liters of water to a rolling boil in a separate pot for noodles. If using packaged fresh noodles, have them ready to drop into boiling water for the package-specified time (usually 60–90 seconds). Prepare an ice bath if blanching toppings like bean sprouts.

Blanch bean sprouts

Blanch bean sprouts in the boiling noodle water for 20–30 seconds until bright and tender-crisp. Shock in ice bath briefly, then drain and set aside.

For each serving, place 1/4 cup (approx.) of shio tare into a ramen bowl. Add about 1–1 1/4 cups hot strained broth to the bowl and stir to dissolve and taste; adjust tare quantity per bowl if needed (more for stronger saltiness).

Add a spoonful (about 1 tsp) of the chicken/pork fat mixture to each bowl, swirling to give the surface a glossy sheen and extra richness.

Place cooked ramen noodles into the bowl (drain well). Immediately arrange toppings: 2 slices chashu pork, 1 ajitsuke tamago halved, 1/4 cup menma, 1/2 cup blanched bean sprouts, a small mound (about 2 tbsp) of sliced negi, and a torn nori sheet. Sprinkle optional toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Finish with a drizzle of any reserved sofrito oil or a small spoonful of the sofrito paste on top of the noodles for aromatic lift. Serve immediately while hot.