Tokyo Shoyu Ramen
The original Tokyo bowl: a clear, savoury chicken and dashi broth seasoned with soy tare, springy noodles, melt-in-the-mouth rolled chashu pork, a jammy marinated egg and bamboo shoots. A weekend project that rewards every minute.
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Start your free weekContinue with free accessStart the chicken broth
Rinse the chicken bones, place them in a large pot with 3.5 litres of cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, skimming off all the foam. Add the onion, ginger and garlic, then keep at a gentle simmer — small, lazy bubbles only — for 2 hours. A hard boil would make the broth cloudy.
Braise the chashu
Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and 300ml water in a snug pot. Sear the rolled pork belly in a hot pan on all sides, then add it to the liquid. Cover and simmer gently for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. Keep the braising liquid — it becomes your tare.
Make the marinated eggs
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Finish with dashi
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Cook the noodles
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Assemble the bowls
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Start the chicken broth
Rinse the chicken bones, place them in a large pot with 3.5 litres of cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, skimming off all the foam. Add the onion, ginger and garlic, then keep at a gentle simmer — small, lazy bubbles only — for 2 hours. A hard boil would make the broth cloudy.
Braise the chashu
Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and 300ml water in a snug pot. Sear the rolled pork belly in a hot pan on all sides, then add it to the liquid. Cover and simmer gently for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. Keep the braising liquid — it becomes your tare.
Make the marinated eggs
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Finish with dashi
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook the noodles
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Assemble the bowls
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Ramen arrived in Japan with Chinese immigrants in the port cities of Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki in the late 19th century, where it was known as 'shina soba' — Chinese noodles. In 1910, a shop called Rairaiken opened in Tokyo's Asakusa district with Chinese cooks serving noodles in a soy-seasoned broth to Japanese customers. It's widely regarded as the first ramen shop, and its bowl is the ancestor of today's shoyu ramen.
After the Second World War, cheap imported wheat and returning soldiers who had eaten noodles in China helped turn ramen into a national obsession. Every region developed its own style — miso in Sapporo, rich pork tonkotsu in Fukuoka — but shoyu remains the classic Tokyo bowl.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Shoyu ramen is the purest expression of the craft: there's nowhere for a weak broth to hide. Its clear, umami-rich soup, balanced by soy tare, is what many ramen masters consider the true test of skill.
💡 Fun Fact
Instant ramen was invented in Japan in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin. Today, more than 100 billion servings of instant noodles are eaten worldwide every year.
Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
35.71°N, 139.80°E
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