Ramen Ryu Recipe

blanch bones

Rinse bones under cold water. Place pork bones in a large stockpot, cover with cold water, bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Rinse the bones and pot to remove scum and impurities; this yields a cleaner broth.

roast aromatics (optional)

While blanching, char halved onions and sliced ginger in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) or on a gas flame until lightly blackened—about 20 minutes. This deepens flavor for Iekei-style broth.

simmer bones and aromatics

Return cleaned pork bones and chicken carcasses to the stockpot. Add 6 L cold water, the roasted onions, ginger, and crushed garlic. Slowly bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil vigorously; maintain small simmering bubbles. Skim foam and impurities during the first 30–60 minutes.

long simmer

Reduce heat and simmer gently for 6–8 hours for a rich, creamy pork-dominant tonkotsu-style base with chicken depth. For lighter chicken shoyu broth, simmer 2–3 hours using mostly chicken carcasses and less pork (adjust bones proportion). Maintain low simmer; top off with water if needed to keep ingredients submerged.

finish with kombu & bonito

During the last 20 minutes of simmering, add kombu to extract umami. After 10 minutes remove kombu to avoid sliminess. After the simmer finishes, strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot. Bring strained stock back to a gentle heat, add katsuobushi, steep 5 minutes, then strain again. Taste and adjust salt by using the tare at serving (see tare directions).

make basic tare

Combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer 2–3 minutes to meld flavors, then remove from heat and cool.

separate for pork & chicken

Divide the cooled tare into two portions: larger portion for pork shoyu, smaller for chicken shoyu. To the pork tare, whisk in 90–120 ml rendered pork fat or lard (warmed so it mixes smoothly) to create a richer, glossy tare. For the chicken shoyu tare, add 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil and 30 ml chicken fat (if available) for a lighter, aromatic finish.

store & adjust

Taste each tare against a small ladle of hot broth to check balance. Adjust with extra soy for saltiness, mirin for sweetness, or a teaspoon of sugar if needed. Keep tare warm or at room temperature until serving.

prepare proteins (chashu & chicken)

If you don't have prepped chashu or braised chicken, make quick versions: For chashu, roll pork belly, tie, sear, then braise in equal parts soy/mirin/sake with water and aromatics for 1.5–2 hours until tender; cool and slice thin. For chicken, braise thighs in soy/mirin/sake or cook sous-vide at 65°C for 1.5 hours, then sear and slice. Prepare 400 g of each as indicated.

soft-boiled eggs

Bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil. Gently lower eggs and cook 6 1/2 minutes for jammy yolks (adjust ±30 seconds for altitude). Immediately transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes, peel, and marinate in a little tare (1 part tare to 1 part water) for 2–4 hours or overnight for ajitsuke tamago.

heat broth & tare per bowl

Keep strained broth hot at a gentle simmer. For each bowl, place 50–70 ml of pork tare (for pork bowls) or 35–50 ml chicken tare (for chicken bowls) into the bottom of a warmed ramen bowl. Adjust quantity by taste and tare strength.

cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add fresh ramen noodles and cook 60–90 seconds or according to package instructions until al dente. Stir to prevent sticking. Drain quickly using a strainer or spider, shaking off excess water.

assemble bowls

Ladle 500–600 ml (per serving) of very hot broth into each bowl over the tare; the hot broth will dissolve and blend the tare. Place cooked noodles into the bowl. Arrange toppings: 2–3 slices chashu (for pork bowls) or sliced braised chicken (for chicken bowls), 1 soft-boiled egg halved, a sheet of halved nori, 2–3 tbs menma, sliced scallions, a small mound of pickled ginger or shredded cabbage if using. Finish with a drizzle (1–2 tsp) of finishing oil: pork backfat or garlic oil for pork shoyu; a touch of sesame oil for chicken shoyu. Sprinkle black pepper and toasted sesame seeds to taste.

serve

Serve immediately while hot. Provide extra tare and chili oil at the table for adjusting salt and heat. Each bowl should be balanced: savory, slightly sweet, umami-rich broth with tender protein, springy noodles, and bright toppings.

Make garlic oil (mayu) by gently heating 30 ml neutral oil with 2–3 crushed garlic cloves and gently frying until garlic is golden brown (do not burn), then remove garlic and increase heat briefly until oil turns a very dark brown (for mayu). Strain and cool. For pork finishing, gently warm small pieces of rendered pork backfat and spoon over bowls for a glossy, fatty finish. Use sparingly: about 1–2 tsp per bowl.