A bowl of ramen has four parts, and making it at home is easier once you treat them separately. There is the broth (the body), the tare (a concentrated seasoning that carries the salt), the noodles (springy alkaline wheat noodles) and the toppings. Make the broth, tare and eggs a day ahead. On the day, cook the noodles in plenty of unsalted water, put tare in warmed bowls, pour hot broth over, add noodles and toppings, and serve within minutes.
A little background
Ramen grew out of Chinese wheat noodle soups and became one of Japan's great everyday foods over the twentieth century, spreading especially after the Second World War. Regional styles developed along the way, and a few are now famous far beyond their home cities: shoyu (soy sauce) ramen is closely associated with Tokyo, miso ramen with Sapporo, and tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen with Hakata in Fukuoka. There are many others, and ramen shops love to argue about the details, which is part of the fun.
1. The broth
Ramen broths fall into two broad families.
- Clear (chintan) broths are simmered gently, like any good stock, so they stay clear. A mix of chicken and pork bones is common, sometimes boosted with dashi made from kombu and dried bonito. Allow 3–4 hours at a bare simmer.
- Cloudy (paitan) broths, tonkotsu being the best known, are boiled hard for many hours. The fierce boil breaks down collagen and emulsifies the fat into a thick, milky broth. Blanch the bones for 10 minutes first, scrub them, then boil them in fresh water for 8 hours or more. Top up with boiling water so the bones stay covered.
If you've never made stock, start with a clear chicken broth. Our guide to making stock from scratch covers the basics. And don't salt the broth: that is the tare's job.
2. The tare
The tare is the part most home cooks miss, and the reason homemade ramen can taste flat. It is a small amount of strong seasoning placed in the bottom of each bowl, and it gives the ramen its name: shoyu, miso or shio (salt).
A simple shoyu tare
- 100 ml soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake
- A 5 cm piece of kombu (optional)
Warm everything gently for 5 minutes without boiling, then cool and remove the kombu. It keeps in the fridge for weeks. Start with about 1½ tablespoons per bowl of broth (roughly 350 ml), then taste and adjust. For miso ramen, fry grated garlic and ginger in sesame oil, stir in miso and ground toasted sesame for a few seconds, then whisk in the hot broth. After that it must not boil hard.
3. The noodles
Ramen noodles are made with wheat flour and an alkaline solution called kansui, which gives them their springy bite, yellowish colour and faint mineral flavour. Fresh or frozen ramen noodles from an Asian grocer are the easiest route and are very good.
- Cook them in a large pan of unsalted, fiercely boiling water. Allow at least 3 litres for four portions.
- Fresh noodles usually take 1–2 minutes and thin Hakata-style noodles barely one. Check the packet and err on the firm side, because they keep softening in the hot broth.
- Drain thoroughly and shake well. Water carried into the bowl dilutes the broth.
- Never cook the noodles in the broth itself. Their starch clouds and thickens it.
4. The toppings
Choose three or four rather than piling everything on.
- Ajitama (marinated soft egg): lower fridge-cold eggs into boiling water for 6½ minutes, then plunge into iced water and peel. Soak for 4–12 hours in equal parts soy sauce, mirin and water.
- Chashu: rolled pork belly braised gently in soy, mirin, sake and sugar until tender, then chilled and sliced. Make it a day ahead, as it slices far more neatly when cold.
- Menma (seasoned bamboo shoots), nori, finely sliced spring onion.
- For miso ramen: beansprouts and sweetcorn, blanched briefly, and sometimes a knob of butter.
- For tonkotsu: wood ear mushrooms, pickled red ginger (beni shoga) and toasted sesame seeds.
- A finishing oil: a few drops of sesame oil, or garlic or spring onion oil, add aroma just as the bowl reaches the table.
Putting it together: a realistic plan
- The day before: make the broth, tare, chashu and eggs. Chill everything.
- 30 minutes before eating: bring the broth to a simmer, slice the chashu and spring onions, halve the eggs, and put a large pan of water on to boil.
- 5 minutes before: warm the bowls, and add tare to each.
- At the last moment: cook and drain the noodles, pour about 350 ml hot broth into each bowl and stir, fold in the noodles, add the toppings and serve.
Common mistakes
- Seasoning the broth instead of using tare. This gives flat, one-note ramen. Keep the broth unseasoned and let the tare do the work.
- Overcooked noodles. They go soft and swell within minutes of reaching the bowl. Cook them firm and serve at once.
- Not enough broth. The noodles should move freely in the bowl.
- Boiling miso. Hard boiling dulls its aroma. Keep miso broth at a gentle simmer.
- Too many toppings. A crowded bowl cools the broth and muddles the flavours.
Where to go next
The Japan and Korea chapter of Soups of the World covers all three classic styles in full: Shoyu Ramen with a chicken, pork and dashi broth, Sapporo-style Miso Ramen, and an eight-hour Tonkotsu Ramen. For nights with no time at all, the Kake Udon from the same chapter is a simple, satisfying alternative. Vegetarians will find a Miso Ramen with Sweetcorn & Soft Egg in The Vegetarian Kitchen, and the recipe finder shows every ramen across our books. For more noodle bowls, see our round-up of 15 soups every cook should know, which includes pho and laksa.
Questions people ask
Can I make ramen with shop-bought stock?
Yes. A good low-salt chicken stock simmered for 20 minutes with a piece of kombu, a few slices of ginger and a spring onion, then seasoned with a proper tare, makes a very respectable weeknight bowl.
Can I use spaghetti instead of ramen noodles?
A common home trick is to boil spaghetti in water with bicarbonate of soda added, which makes the water alkaline and gives the pasta a springier, more ramen-like bite. It is a decent stand-in, but proper fresh ramen noodles are better and easy to find in Asian grocers.
How long does ramen broth keep?
Cool it quickly and refrigerate it within about two hours, then use it within three days. Otherwise freeze it in portions for up to three months. Bring it back to the boil before serving.
What is the difference between ramen and pho?
Ramen is Japanese and uses alkaline wheat noodles, with the flavour coming from a tare added to each bowl. Pho is Vietnamese and uses flat rice noodles in a spiced beef or chicken broth that is seasoned in the pot, with fresh herbs and lime added at the table.