Shoyu Recipe

Rinse the chicken carcass or wings under cold water. Place them in a large stockpot with 3 liters of cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim any scum that rises to the surface for the first 10–15 minutes.

Add the 200 g boneless chicken breast (for extra chicken flavor in broth), smashed ginger, crushed garlic, white parts of green onions, dried shiitake mushrooms, and kombu. Reduce heat to low so the pot holds a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil).

Simmer gently for 2–2.5 hours, uncovered or partially covered, maintaining a very low simmer. Skim periodically. In the last 10 minutes of simmering, remove kombu to prevent bitterness.

If using bonito flakes, turn off heat after simmering, add bonito flakes, steep 3–4 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids. Season the strained broth with 1 tablespoon salt to taste. Keep the broth warm on the lowest heat.

Combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, sliced ginger, and crushed garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat for 2–3 minutes to meld flavors and dissolve sugar. Do not boil vigorously—just warm to marry ingredients.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain out solids and transfer tare to a small jar. This tare concentrates the soy flavor; for each bowl of ramen use about 40–60 ml of tare depending on how salty/strong you like it.

Place 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a saucepan and add 1 liter water, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tablespoon mirin. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Once simmering, reduce heat to low, cover, and poach gently for 10–12 minutes until internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F). Remove from liquid, let rest 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Keep warm or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Bring 1 liter of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Carefully lower 4 large eggs into the boiling water using a spoon. Boil for 6 minutes for slightly jammy yolks (adjust to 7 minutes for firmer yolks).

Prepare an ice bath. When the timer is done, transfer eggs to the ice bath to stop cooking for at least 5 minutes. Peel the cooled eggs gently.

Mix 80 ml light soy sauce, 40 ml mirin, 40 ml water, and 1 tsp sugar in a container just big enough to hold the peeled eggs. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Submerge peeled eggs in the soy marinade, ensuring they are mostly covered. Refrigerate and marinate for 4–12 hours (overnight for best color and flavor). Remove eggs from marinade, slice in half when ready to serve.

If using plain canned menma, heat a small skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Add menma (150 g) and sauté briefly 2–3 minutes. Optionally add 1–2 tablespoons of a few tablespoons of the shoyu tare (to taste) and a splash of water; simmer 1–2 minutes to glaze. Remove from heat.

Thinly slice green onions. Cut nori sheets into halves or thirds for garnish. Prepare chili oil if desired.

Bring the strained chicken broth back to a gentle simmer. Cook ramen noodles according to package instructions in a separate pot (typically 2–4 minutes for fresh, longer for dried). Drain well.

For each bowl: add 40–60 ml shoyu tare to the bottom of a ramen bowl (adjust to taste). Ladle ~500 ml hot broth into the bowl and mix to dissolve the tare, tasting and adjusting with more tare or a pinch of salt if needed.

Place cooked noodles into the broth. Top with sliced poached chicken, one halved soy egg, a portion of menma, sliced green onions, and a sheet of nori. Drizzle optional chili oil if desired.

Serve immediately, with extra tare on the side if guests want stronger soy flavor.