Nostalgic Japanese Shio Recipe

Prepare bones

Blanch the chicken bones: place bones in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones under cold water to remove scum. Clean the pot.

Simmer stock

Return cleaned bones to the pot and add 8 cups fresh cold water. Add halved onion, smashed garlic, sliced ginger, and dried shiitake mushrooms. Add 1 tsp salt. Slowly bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim any scum that rises for the first 10–15 minutes.

Add kombu and simmer gently

When the pot is nearly at a simmer (small bubbles), add kombu. Keep simmering gently (do not boil hard) for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove kombu after 30–45 minutes to avoid bitter flavor if you prefer a cleaner broth.

Finish with bonito

After about 1 hour total simmer for the chicken stock, turn off heat and add the dried bonito flakes. Let steep for 5–7 minutes, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot or bowl. Discard solids. Taste and adjust seasoning—this is your clear, nostalgic shio broth base. Chill briefly if needed to remove surface fat, or skim fat with a spoon.

Combine 1.5 tbsp fine sea salt, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooled bonito dashi (or a spoon of concentrated dashi), and 1/4 tsp white pepper in a small bowl. Stir until the salt dissolves and taste; it should be noticeably salty but balanced with umami and a light sweetness. Adjust salt or mirin by small increments if needed.

For deeper flavor, gently warm the mirin and sake in a small pan, add salt and soy, then cool before using. Keep tare at room temperature until assembly.

Prepare noodles

Bring a separate pot of water to a rapid boil. Cook ramen noodles according to package directions (usually 1–3 minutes for fresh, 3–5 for dried) until just tender (al dente). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Reserve 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water if you want to loosen the soup later. Drain noodles well.

Warm bowls and combine tare

Warm two serving bowls by filling with hot water for a minute, then discarding. Into each warmed bowl add about 1.5 tbsp shio tare (adjust to taste; use 1–2 tbsp). If you like a lighter flavor, start with 1 tbsp.

Finish broth

Bring strained broth back to a gentle simmer. Skim any residual scum or fat. If broth is very concentrated, add a splash of reserved noodle water or plain hot water to reach a balanced, clear soup. Optional: stir in 1/2 tsp sesame oil into the broth for a subtle aroma before ladling.

Assemble bowls

Ladle about 2.5 cups (depending on bowl size) of hot broth into each bowl over the tare. Add cooked noodles. Arrange 2 slices of chashu pork per bowl, one halved soft-boiled egg, a tablespoon of menma, half the sliced green onions, a sheet of nori (halved) standing at the edge, and sprinkle with white sesame seeds. Taste and add a pinch of salt or extra tare if required.

Serve

Serve immediately while hot so the noodles retain texture and the egg yolks are slightly runny. Encourage diners to mix tare and broth before eating to achieve the nostalgic light shio ramen flavor.