Shoyu Ramen (Japanese Soy Sauce Ramen)
Tokyo-style ramen with a clear chicken and dashi broth, a punchy soy sauce tare, springy noodles, chashu-style pork, a jammy soy egg and nori.
Ingredients
Pantry bits
- 1.5kg chicken wings or frames
- 1 onion, halved
- 5cm piece ginger, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 4 spring onions, white parts for the broth, green parts sliced to serve
- 1 litre dashi (Japanese soup stock)
- 600g pork belly or shoulder, rolled and tied
- 150ml soy sauce, plus 100ml for the pork
- 60ml mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), plus 60ml for the pork
- 2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 portions fresh ramen noodles (about 130g each)
- 100g bamboo shoots (menma)
- 2 sheets nori seaweed, cut into rectangles
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large pot with 3 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then add the onion, ginger, garlic and spring onion whites. Simmer very gently, uncovered, for 2 hours. Don't let it boil hard or the broth turns cloudy.
- Meanwhile, brown the pork all over in a hot saucepan. Add 100ml soy sauce, 60ml mirin, the sugar and 400ml water, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, turning every 20 minutes. Lift out the pork and keep the braising liquid.
- Boil the eggs for 6 1/2 minutes, cool in iced water and peel. Soak them in half the pork braising liquid for at least 1 hour.
- For the tare, warm the 150ml soy sauce, 60ml mirin and the sake in a small pan for 2 minutes, then take it off the heat.
- Strain the chicken broth and combine it with the dashi. Keep it hot. Slice the pork thinly and halve the eggs.
- Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to the packet, usually 1-2 minutes. While they cook, put 2 1/2 tbsp tare into each bowl and add about 400ml hot broth.
- Drain the noodles well, shake off the water and add them to the bowls. Top with pork, a halved egg, bamboo shoots, nori and sliced spring onion greens. Serve straight away.
About this dish
Shoyu ramen (醤油ラーメン) is the original Tokyo ramen: a clear, glossy chicken broth seasoned with a soy sauce tare, served with springy wavy noodles. It is lighter than tonkotsu and less salty than it sounds, with the soy sauce, mirin and dashi giving it a deep, savoury flavour.
It takes an afternoon, but most of it is gentle simmering. The tare and the pork braising liquid do double duty, and the broth freezes well. If you want something faster, try our 15-minute cheat-day ramen or our guide to upgrading instant ramen. For noodles, see the best noodles for ramen.
Tips for the best result
- Keep the broth at a lazy simmer with just a few bubbles. Boiling emulsifies the fat and makes it cloudy.
- The tare goes in the bowl, not the pot. That way each bowl is seasoned the same, and leftover broth stays plain.
- Drain the noodles really well. Water left on them dilutes the soup.
- Warm the bowls with hot water first so the ramen stays hot to the last mouthful.
Substitutions
- Broth: in a hurry, use 2 litres of good chicken stock simmered for 20 minutes with the ginger, garlic and onion, plus the dashi.
- Pork: sliced roast chicken or char siu work well.
- Noodles: fresh ramen noodles are best. Dried ramen or thin egg noodles are fine.
Storage
Keep the broth, tare, pork and eggs separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. The broth freezes for 3 months. Always cook the noodles fresh.
Shoyu ramen FAQs
What is the difference between shoyu and tonkotsu ramen?
Shoyu ramen has a clear chicken or dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce. Tonkotsu is a milky, rich pork bone broth that is boiled hard for many hours.
What is tare?
Tare is the concentrated seasoning that goes into each bowl before the broth. It decides the style of ramen: shoyu, shio (salt) or miso.
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