This shoyu ramen is built from two separate stocks — a long-simmered chicken and pork bone broth and a quick kombu-bonito dashi — combined at the end for a clear, soy-seasoned broth with real depth. The braised pork belly and marinated eggs are both made ahead, so when it’s time to serve, you’re just reheating and assembling. It takes most of a day across two days, but almost none of that time is active work.
What makes this version work
The two-stock method is what separates this from a one-pot shortcut. The bone broth brings body and richness; the dashi brings clean, sharp umami that a long-simmered broth alone can’t produce. Combining them at assembly — rather than cooking everything together — keeps the dashi flavor bright instead of cooking it flat. The second technique that matters is the pork belly braise: searing the belly hard before it goes into the soy-sake liquid builds a caramelized crust that holds up when you slice and reheat the pieces, so they don’t fall apart in the bowl.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skimming the bone broth too late. The grey foam that rises in the first 20 minutes of simmering is what makes broth taste muddy. Set a timer and skim every few minutes during that window — after that, the broth largely clears itself.
- Boiling instead of simmering the broth. A hard boil turns a clear shoyu broth cloudy and slightly bitter. Once it reaches temperature, drop the heat until you see only occasional bubbles breaking the surface.
- Slicing the pork belly while it’s hot. Hot braised pork belly falls apart. Let it cool completely in its braising liquid — ideally overnight in the fridge — then slice it cold. It reheats cleanly in the broth.
- Underseasoning the tare. The shoyu tare is the salt source for the whole bowl. Taste it before assembly; it should taste aggressively salty on its own because it gets diluted into a full bowl of broth. If it tastes balanced straight from the spoon, add more soy sauce.
- Overcooking the noodles. Fresh ramen noodles cook in 60–90 seconds. Pull them just before they look done — they keep cooking in the hot broth. Skip the garnish of extra scallion oil if you’re feeding a crowd; it’s not worth the extra pan.
Smart swaps
- Kombu: Found in most Asian grocery stores and online. If you can’t get it, a small piece of dried shiitake mushroom added to the dashi step adds a different but workable umami base.
- Bonito flakes (katsuobushi): Also at Asian grocery stores. There is no close Western substitute — if you skip it, your dashi will be much lighter. Use a full 2-cup measure of dried shiitake soaking liquid instead to compensate.
- Fresh ramen noodles: Dried ramen noodles or even fresh Chinese egg noodles work. Avoid instant ramen noodles — they turn mushy before the broth is in the bowl. Plan on roughly 4–5 oz (110–140g) of fresh noodles per person, or 2–3 oz (55–85g) dried.
- Pork belly: Skin-on or skinless both work. Skin-on gives a more gelatinous texture; skinless is easier to slice cleanly for serving a larger group.
Make-ahead notes
Every component of this recipe can — and should — be made before serving day. The bone broth keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezes well for 3 months; freeze it in 2-cup portions so you can thaw only what you need. The braised pork belly keeps refrigerated in its braising liquid for up to 4 days; slice it cold and reheat the slices in a small pan with a spoonful of the braising liquid for about 2 minutes per side. The marinated eggs are best between 8 and 24 hours of marinating — after 36 hours the whites get rubbery. The dashi is the one component best made fresh on serving day; it takes about 20 minutes and the flavor is noticeably cleaner than day-old dashi. On assembly day, combine your bone broth and dashi in a large pot, season with tare, and keep it at a low simmer — this makes it easy to ladle bowls one at a time without rushing, which is exactly what you want when you’re feeding several people at once.
Classic Shoyu Ramen with Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients
Braised Pork Belly:
- 1 pound pork belly cut into eight equal pieces
- 4 cloves garlic lightly smashed
- 1 piece ginger rinsed, halved, and lightly smashed
- 4 stalks scallions washed and trimmed
- ½ cup sake
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 piece dried kombu (2×2 inch)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
Soup Base:
- 2 pounds chicken bones or wings
- 2 pounds pork spareribs
- 2 bunches scallions cleaned and trimmed
- 1 piece ginger (about 2 inches / 5cm), halved and lightly smashed
- 1 head garlic halved horizontally
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sake
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Marinated Eggs:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
Dashi Stock:
- 2 pieces dried kombu (6×5 inch)
- 1 ½ ounces bonito flakes
- 8 cups water
Assembly:
- 4 portions Ramen noodles (approximately 5 oz / 140g each)
- Toppings such as thinly sliced scallion, sliced fish cake, toasted nori, and boiled spinach
- Seasonings such as chilli oil and shichimi togarashi
Instructions
Marinated Eggs
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook for 7 minutes on low heat. Remove and place in a dish of ice water. Peel the eggs and put them in a small plastic bag.
- In a small pot over medium heat, warm the sake, soy sauce, and mirin until the mixture just begins to simmer — about 1 minute. This cooks off the raw alcohol. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before pouring into the bag with the eggs.
- Seal the bag tightly, making sure the eggs have adequate contact with the marinade. Allow to settle in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 4-5 hours.
- Remove the eggs from the marinade and cut them in half lengthwise when ready to use.
Soup Base
- In a large pot, combine pork and chicken bones and fill them with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- When the water begins to boil, drain it through a colander or mesh strainer. Remove the water. Freshwater should be used to rinse the bones thoroughly.
- Return the bones, scallions, garlic, and ginger to a large clean pot. Add enough fresh water to cover the bones by about 2 inches (5cm).
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 4 hours, or until the stock has reduced to about 1 quart.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the broth into a clean pot and discard the solids. Add the soy sauce, sake, and brown sugar to the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool before refrigerating — the broth will keep for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Braised Pork Belly
- In a pot, combine the pork belly, smashed garlic, garlic, and scallions. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 2-2.5 hours, skimming any scum that rises to the surface, until the pork belly is very tender when pierced with a chopstick. Add warm water as needed to keep the pork submerged.
- Transfer the pork to a clean pot and add the sake, water, kombu, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until most of the liquid has been reduced, turning the pieces occasionally.
- Add mirin, and cook another minute until absorbed. Remove pork from heat and reserve until ready to use.
Dashi Stock
- Soak the kombu in water for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove the kombu.
- Remove from the heat and top with bonito flakes. Allow for a 15-minute steep before straining the stock. Solids must be discarded and reserve stock until ready to use.
Assembly
- In a large pot, combine the soup base broth and dashi stock in a roughly 1:1 ratio (about 1 cup / 240ml of each per bowl). Heat over medium-high until steaming hot. Taste and adjust soy sauce or salt as needed. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain well, and divide among warmed bowls. Ladle the hot broth over the noodles.
- Serve with chosen toppings.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I make the broth in a slow cooker or Instant Pot instead of on the stovetop?
Yes, both work. In a slow cooker, cook the bones on low for 8–10 hours. In an Instant Pot, pressure cook on high for 3 hours with a natural release — the broth will be slightly cloudier than stovetop but still very flavorful.
How much broth do I need per bowl?
Plan on about 1.5 cups (360ml) of finished broth per serving. This accounts for the tare you’ll stir in and leaves room in the bowl for noodles and toppings without overflow.
My broth tastes thin even after hours of simmering — what went wrong?
The most common cause is too much water relative to bones, or bones that weren’t cracked before going in the pot. If the broth tastes weak, remove the lid and let it reduce over medium heat for 20–30 minutes before combining it with the dashi.
Can I double the recipe to feed 8 people?
Yes, and this recipe scales up well because all the components are made separately. The main constraint is pot size — you’ll need at least an 8-quart pot for the bone broth. The pork belly and eggs can be doubled with no technique changes; just make sure your braising vessel is large enough to hold the belly in a single layer.
More recipes to try
- Authentic Japanese Chicken Teriyaki
- Soft and Sweet Japanese Mochi
- Quick and Delicious Homemade Chinese Fried Rice
- Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls
