Shoyu Ramen
Published January 9, 2024
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- About 8 hours
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 1 hour, plus at least 6 hours’ marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE EGGS
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup mirin
⅓ cup sake
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
FOR THE BROTH
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 (1 ½-inch) piece ginger, peeled and grated
3 cups dashi, homemade or prepared with powdered dashi
3 cups chicken broth
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
¼ teaspoon white or black pepper, plus more as needed
4 (5- to 7-ounce) packages frozen or fresh ramen noodles, or 4 (3- to 5-ounce) packages dried ramen noodles
FOR THE TOPPINGS
Chashu (Japanese pork belly), 1 to 2 slices per serving
Menma (pickled bamboo shoots), about 5 per serving
Narutomaki (fish cakes), about 3 slices per serving
Cooked and chopped wood ear mushrooms, about 1 tablespoon per serving
Cooked corn kernels, about 2 tablespoons per serving
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Nori, about 2 per serving, cut into 3-by-2-inch pieces
La-yu (Japanese chili oil), to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
89 grams carbs; 205 milligrams cholesterol; 959 calories; 16 grams monosaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 41 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 3604 milligrams sodium; 52 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the eggs: In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. Bring to boil over medium-high, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Step 2
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water (the eggs need to be completely submerged), and bring to a boil over high. With a small mesh sieve or a slotted spoon, gently lower each egg into the boiling water. Immediately after the last egg is lowered, set the timer for 6 minutes 30 seconds for a runny yolk, or 7 to 8 minutes for a jammy yolk. Reduce the heat so it’s at a lively simmer but not a roaring boil. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl halfway with cold water and add 1 cup of ice. Fish out the eggs with the sieve and transfer to the ice bath. Cool the eggs completely, then peel.
- Step 3
Place the peeled eggs in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the cooled marinade. Squeeze the air from the bag, twist the top and use a chip clip or rubber band to seal; this will keep the eggs fully submerged in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours.
- Step 4
Set out toppings of choice. Remove the eggs from the marinade; discard the marinade. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Reheat chashu by searing the slices quickly in a hot pan or placing the meat directly in the hot soup (or by warming it up in its cooking liquid if made from scratch).
- Step 5
Prepare the broth and noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat the sesame oil over medium-low. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the dashi, chicken broth and soy sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed and pepper (about ¼ teaspoon). Cover, reduce heat to low and keep at a bare simmer while you prepare the noodles. Add the noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions; drain.
- Step 6
Divide the noodles between four deep soup bowls. Pour equal amounts of broth into each bowl (1¼ to 1½ cups). Add toppings of choice and serve right away.
Private Notes
Comments
This recipe looks just fine for those operating under time constraints, but I am sure nothing will ever pry me away from June Xie's shoyu ramen recipe over at Delish. It takes me two days to make, and it is a masterpiece, absolutely bursting with richly layered flavors. Also, there is no need to discard the marinade after removing the eggs - it can be refrigerated, then another night you can simmer until somewhat reduced, and drizzle over a salmon/rice/veggie bowl in a shoyu-bibimbap mashup.
@Ilona Cooking the noodles separately from the broth keeps the broth from getting starchy and cloudy.
I love love love this recipe. I make the broth and portion it into 1 cup servings and freeze. It’s a practically instant meal that just takes the time to boil the water for the noodles. I like to add tofu, scallions, and sometimes the ajitama egg if I planned ahead. Spinach tossed in is nice too. Finish with a bit of togarashi and maybe a dash of vinegar. Now I’m hungry…..
This recipe overall is very good. Making the eggs is a bit fussy but they turn out very tasty and perfectly jammy if you follow it exactly. I felt order of operations on other steps needed some work- the noodles should be the absolute last thing you prepare, they cook quick. I found the following to work well- prep the eggs, then about 60-90 mins before you want to eat, prep the broth as the recipe states. I found transferring the dashi to a bowl and reusing the pot for the broth base was easier than multiple pots. I could not find round chashu at Mitsuwa, but I did find rectangular pork belly strips- I threw them in the broth once it went to the boil stage until cooked, then let them hit a cast iron skillet for awhile to render the fat. I threw the back into the broth along with the rendered fat, then took them out. I also let the menma marinade a bit in the broth as it tasted of nothing right out of its package; this was a good call. The rest of the recipe was straightforward. I'll make it again, but will probably rewrite it in more linear steps.
Absolutely delicious - definitely make the dashi linked in the recipe but make sure you use the instructions in the comments section for it!
Eight hours? Too much time and way too complicated. I don’t think you need to marinate the egg. Maybe I haven’t been going to the right restaurants, but I’ve never been served soyu ramen with a marinated egg. It may be a bit hybrid, but when we’re feeling like noodle soup, we heat up some chicken broth, cook some noodles (maybe buckwheat), add some roast pork from the Chinese market, or roast chicken from the supermarket, half a boiled egg, some bok choy, bean sprouts if we have, some soy sauce, sesame oil, and garnish with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, a square of nori, and some Japanese spicy powder. 15 minutes and it’s delish!