Ramen would be one of the soup dishes that pop into your mind when thinking about Japanese food. With its affordable cost and easy accessibility, ramen has become one of the most enjoyed soup dishes in Japan. Shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented soybean paste), and Tonkotsu (pork bone) are the four basic ramen flavors and broth enjoyed by the Japanese.
Some ramen takes longer to cook. Tonkotsu ramen, for example, requires hours of simmering to get the pork broth into the right creamy and rich flavor we all like. Shoyu ramen, however, is simpler.
So today, let’s try making Shoyu ramen!
Ingredients (材料)
This recipe is meant for one serving.
- Chinese noodles (raw/fresh)
- Hot water (For boiling)
Soup:
- Boiling water 熱湯 500ml
- Soy sauce しょうゆ 1 tablespoon
- Chicken soup stock 鶏ガラスープの素 1/2 teaspoon
- Granulated Japanese soup stock 顆粒和風だし 1/2 teaspoon
- Grated ginger すりおろし生姜 1/2 teaspoon
- Sesame oil ごま油 1/2 tablespoon
- Coarsely ground black pepper 粗挽き黒こしょう 1/3 teaspoon
Toppings:
- Sliced Spring onions 長ねぎ 5 cm
- Grilled pork 焼き豚 30g
- Bamboo shoots メンマ 30g
- Soft Boiled egg 煮卵 1/2 piece
- Nori (5 x 10cm) 2 sheets
Step-by-Step Procedure
- Mix chicken soup stock and granulated Japanese soup stock in a medium saucepan and keep it low heat.
- For shoyu tare, heat the sesame oil until shimmering in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add grated ginger for 30 seconds and add soy sauce and ground black pepper. Then remove the shoyu tare from the heat.
- Mix the shoyu tare with the low-heated soup stock.
- Boil the water over high heat and add the Chinese noodles to boiling water.
- Drain the water when the noodles are well-cooked.
- Place the noodles into the bowl and ladle the low-heated soup base over the noodles.
- Put the prepared toppings- sliced spring onions, grilled pork, soft-boiled egg, bamboo shoots, and nori- over the noodles
- Serve and enjoy!
Ramen-related Vocabulary
| Kanji | Hiragana | English |
| 中華麺 | ちゅうかめん | Chinese noodles |
| 醬油 | しょうゆ | Soy sauce |
| 塩 | しお | Salt |
| 胡椒 | こしょう | Black pepper |
| 顆粒和風だし | かりゅうわふうだし | Granulated Japanese soup stock |
| 鶏ガラスープの素 | とりがらすーぷのもと | Chicken soup stock |
| ごま油 | ごまあぶら | Sesame oil |
| 生姜 | しょうが | Ginger |
| 長ねぎ | ながねぎ | Spring onions |
| メンマ | めんま | Bamboo shoot |
| 煮卵 | にたまご | Boiled egg |
| 焼き豚 | やきぶた | Grilled pork |
| 海苔 | のり | Dried seaweed |