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Japanese ramen brings together springy wheat noodles, a savoury broth and toppings that make each bowl a meal. Here, miso gives the chicken broth a rounded flavour, with slices of tender pork belly, an egg and fresh spring onion on top. A piece of nori softens into the soup as you eat.
This recipe serves four and uses prepared chicken stock. The pork needs a slow spell in the oven, but the soup itself is straightforward. Prepare the toppings while the meat cooks, then boil the noodles at the last moment so they reach the table with a little bite.
Want to dive deeper into Japanese Cuisine? Don’t miss our post on 26 Traditional Japanese Foods to Try
What Is Japanese Ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup with three main parts: noodles, seasoned broth and toppings. The noodles are made with wheat flour and an alkaline ingredient called kansui, which gives them their firm texture and characteristic spring. They hold up in hot soup without becoming soft immediately.
The broth and its seasoning are usually prepared as separate elements. Chicken, pork, fish or vegetables provide the base, while a seasoning mixture called tare gives the soup its main flavour. Soy sauce, salt and miso are three familiar starting points, each used in different styles of ramen.
The bowl below has a light miso broth and a roasted pork topping. It is a home recipe built around good stock, with enough time given to the pork for its fat and connective tissue to soften.
Ingredients and Taste
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that brings saltiness and a deep savoury flavour to the broth. Shiro miso, the pale variety used here, tends to be milder and sweeter than darker miso. Stir it into a little hot stock first so it dissolves smoothly, then taste the soup before adding the rest.
Garlic and ginger add fragrance without taking over. Use a chicken stock with a full flavour and modest salt level, because both the miso and soy sauce contribute seasoning. Mirin gives the pork a gentle sweetness that works well against the savoury soup.
Pork belly supplies richness in small slices across the bowl. An egg adds a softer texture, while spring onion brings a fresh, sharp note. Nori gives a seaweed flavour as it touches the broth. Optional bamboo shoots add crunch; ready seasoned menma are particularly good if you can find them.
A Taste of History
Ramen developed from Chinese noodle dishes brought to Japan. Chinese restaurants in port cities helped introduce noodle soups that Japanese cooks adapted with different broths, seasonings and toppings. Over time, the dish developed a strong identity of its own.
As ramen spread, regional styles became established. Miso joined soy sauce and salt as a recognised soup seasoning, while the thickness of the noodles and the richness of the broth varied between places and shops. That variety is part of what makes ramen interesting to explore.
Which Noodles Should You Buy?
Look for fresh ramen noodles in the chilled section of a Japanese or Asian food shop, or buy dried noodles labelled for ramen. Fresh and dried noodles need different weights for the same number of portions, so check the packet as well as the quantities in the card.
Keep their cooking water separate from the broth. That lets you drain away the surface starch and serve a cleaner soup. Have the toppings and bowls ready before the noodles go in, as even a short wait after draining can leave them stuck together.
How to Make Japanese Ramen
Start with the pork belly, then prepare the eggs, toppings and broth while it roasts. Once the meat is tender, slice it and cook the noodles ready for serving. See the recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient quantities and printable cooking instructions.
Ingredients
For the pork
- Pork belly, skin and bones removed
- Japanese soy sauce
- Mirin
- Neutral cooking oil
- Water
For the broth
- Low salt chicken stock
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Neutral cooking oil
- Shiro miso
- Japanese soy sauce
- Sake, optional
For the bowls
- Fresh or dried ramen noodles
- Eggs
- Spring onions
- Nori
- Ready to eat menma or cooked bamboo shoots, optional
- Toasted sesame seeds, optional
Equipment
You’ll need a frying pan, a small covered oven dish, a pot for the soup and a separate large pan for the noodles. A small saucepan is useful for the eggs. Have a sieve, a food thermometer and four deep bowls ready.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1: Brown the Pork Belly
Coat the pork slices with soy sauce and mirin, then lift them out and let excess seasoning drip off. Sear in a lightly oiled pan until coloured on both sides. Keep the heat moderate so the mirin browns without burning.
Step 2: Cook the Pork Until Tender
Put the pork in the oven dish with the reserved seasoning and water. Cover tightly and roast gently. Check that some liquid remains as it cooks. The pork should be fully cooked and easy to pierce with a fork before you take it out to rest and slice.
Step 3: Prepare the Toppings
Boil the eggs to your preferred consistency, then cool them in cold water and peel. Slice the spring onions, cut the nori and drain the bamboo shoots if using. Keep everything ready for assembly while you finish the soup.
Step 4: Make the Miso Broth
Gently cook the garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Add the stock and optional sake, then simmer briefly. Remove the ginger slices, take the pot off the heat and stir in the miso dissolved in a ladleful of stock. Add the soy sauce, taste and adjust before returning the pot to a low heat.
Step 5: Cook the Ramen Noodles
Warm the bowls with hot water. Boil the noodles in a separate pan according to their packet instructions, loosening them gently as they cook. Drain thoroughly and divide between the emptied bowls while the soup is hot.
Step 6: Fill the Bowls and Serve
Pour the broth over the noodles, then add the sliced pork and a halved egg to each bowl. Finish with spring onion, nori and any optional toppings. Serve straight away, before the noodles soften in the soup.
Variations and Substitutions
Darker miso: Red miso makes a stronger, more deeply flavoured soup. Add less at first and build the seasoning gradually. Different brands vary, so tasting is more useful than treating every paste as interchangeable.
Without cooking alcohol: Omit the optional sake. Replace the pork’s mirin with water and a little sugar, using the amounts in the card. The pork will still have a lightly sweet coating, with a different aroma.
Chicken topping: Fully cooked sliced chicken can replace the pork. Prepare it separately using a suitable chicken recipe, then warm it before adding it to the bowl.
Cooking Tips for Japanese Ramen
Balance the soup before cooking the noodles. Taste a spoonful while it is hot enough to serve. If it needs more savouriness, stir in a little more miso. If it is too salty, add unsalted stock or hot water a little at a time.
Keep the broth hot without reducing it heavily. A long boil concentrates the seasoning and leaves less soup for the bowls. A low heat is enough while you finish the noodles.
Give the noodles room to move. If your pan is small, cook two portions at a time and serve in pairs. Draining them well prevents their cooking water from diluting the broth.
How to Store and Reheat Ramen
Storing
Keep broth, pork and any cooked noodles in separate containers. Cool promptly and refrigerate within two hours. Use within 48 hours. For a meal planned ahead, leave the noodles uncooked until serving.
Freezing
Freeze cooled broth and pork in individual portions and aim to use within two months for quality. Prepare fresh eggs when serving and store uncooked noodles according to their packet instructions.
Defrosting
Defrost broth and pork fully in the fridge, then use within 24 hours.
Reheating
Reheat the pork and broth until steaming hot throughout, then add freshly cooked noodles and the toppings. Reheat leftovers only once. A gentle simmer helps keep the soup from reducing too far.
Japanese Ramen (Noodle Soup) Recipe
Ingredients
Pork Topping
- 400 g pork belly skinless and boneless, cut into long slices about 2 cm thick
- 15 ml Japanese soy sauce
- 15 ml mirin
- 10 ml neutral cooking oil
- 150 ml water
Soup
- 10 ml neutral cooking oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger sliced
- 1.6 litres low salt chicken stock
- 30 ml sake optional
- 60 to 80 g shiro miso added gradually
- 15 ml Japanese soy sauce
- Hot water or unsalted stock only if needed to adjust seasoning
Noodles and Toppings
- 600 g fresh ramen noodles or 320 g dried ramen noodles, approximately four portions; check the packet
- 4 large eggs
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- 1 sheet nori cut into four pieces
- 100 g ready to eat menma or cooked bamboo shoots drained, optional
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds optional
- Water for boiling the eggs and noodles and cold water for cooling the eggs
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160°C, or 140°C fan. Coat the pork with its 15 ml soy sauce and mirin. Lift out, reserve the marinade and lightly blot excess liquid from the surface. Heat the 10 ml oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sear the slices for about 2 minutes per side, reducing the heat if the seasoning catches.
- Put the slices in the small oven dish with the reserved marinade and 150 ml water. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and roast for about 90 minutes, checking at 75 minutes. Keep some liquid in the dish, topping up with hot water if needed. It should be fork tender and cooked through, reaching 75°C for at least 30 seconds in the thickest part. If safe but still firm, cover and continue in 15 minute intervals until tender. Rest for 10 minutes, then slice into bite sized pieces. The cooking liquid is not added to the soup.
- During the final part of the roast, lower the eggs into gently boiling water. Cook large fridge cold eggs for about 7 minutes for a soft centre, or 10 to 12 minutes for a firm yolk, allowing for egg size. Cool promptly in cold water, peel and halve near serving. Prepare the spring onions and nori and drain the optional bamboo shoots. For a runny yolk in the UK, choose British Lion or equivalent assured hen eggs; otherwise cook until white and yolk are firm. Severely immunocompromised people should follow individual advice and use fully cooked eggs.
- Heat the soup oil over medium low heat. Cook the garlic and ginger for 30 to 60 seconds without browning. Add the stock and optional sake, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, partly covered. Remove the ginger. Check that about 1.6 litres remains, topping up with hot water if needed. Take off the heat. Whisk 60 g miso with a ladleful of broth, stir it back into the pot and add the soup’s 15 ml soy sauce. Taste and add the remaining miso gradually if needed. Keep hot over low heat.
- Ensure the pork, toppings and soup are ready. Warm the four bowls with hot water. In a separate large pan of unsalted boiling water, cook the ramen according to its packet, stirring gently to separate it. Drain thoroughly. Do not rinse cold or hold the noodles while preparing the toppings. Empty the bowls and divide the noodles between them. Work in two batches if the pan is too small to cook all four portions freely.
- Divide the hot broth between the bowls, about 400 ml each. Add a quarter of the warm pork, both halves of one egg, spring onion and a piece of nori to each. Divide the optional bamboo shoots and sesame seeds between the bowls. Serve straight away.
Notes
- Allow about 2 hours 20 minutes from preparation to serving, longer if the pork needs extra time to soften. Prepare the eggs and soup during roasting and bring the noodle water to the boil before the pork has finished resting.
- Stock, miso and soy sauce vary considerably in salt. Use low salt stock and start with 60 g miso. Red miso is stronger; start with 40 g and increase to taste. Do not add instant noodle seasoning sachets.
- Omit the optional sake. Replace the 15 ml mirin in the pork with 15 ml water and ½ tsp caster sugar. Check all labels if needed. Brief cooking does not guarantee the removal of all alcohol.
- These are plain boiled eggs, not marinated ramen eggs. Seven minutes is an approximate texture guide, not a guarantee for every egg size or starting temperature. Choose firm yolks when appropriate.
- A separate fully cooked chicken topping can replace the pork; it needs its own cooking method. Do not roast chicken for the pork’s full time.
- Cool broth and pork separately and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 48 hours or freeze. Use frozen portions within 2 months for quality. Thaw in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout and cook fresh noodles for serving. Do not freeze the assembled soup with eggs.
- Contains wheat, soy and egg; optional sesame. Miso may also contain barley, and stock or other bought ingredients may contain additional allergens. Check labels.
