I hope that you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy a freshly made bowl of traditional ramen because there’s nothing quite like it! This Japanese street food has become popular all over the world, so it’s likely that there’s a noodle bar or sushi restaurant near you serving up all types of tasty homemade ramen recipes! And while I love going out for ramen, I wanted to create a simple, inexpensive version that I could make at home. I’m thrilled with how delicious and easy this soup recipe is! I’ve specifically designed this Shoyu-style ramen broth recipe using easy-to-find ingredients so that you can make this without a special trip to the grocery store first. You’ll also love my take on Pad Thai, made in the Instant Pot. And easy California Roll Sushi Bowls are another fun way to enjoy a Japanese-style meal at home.
A Simplified Homemade Ramen Recipe
There are many different styles of Japanese ramen, but there are four main “classic” types. The differences between them lie primarily in the broth used. This recipe, made with chicken stock and soy sauce, is most similar to shoyu ramen. Traditionally, other ingredients such as mirin and rice vinegar would also be added to the broth, but we’re skipping them for the sake of simplicity! There’s also shio ramen, which is served with a clear, salty broth, tonkotsu ramen which starts with a rich, savory bone broth, and miso ramen, flavored with fermented bean paste. All ramen soups will include noodles and plenty of toppings! Our recipe uses dried ramen noodles (but not the instant kind), pan-seared chicken breast, baby bok choi, carrots, mushrooms, and a soft-boiled egg.
Ingredients In This Ramen Recipe
There are three main elements to ramen: broth, noodles, and toppings.
For the Broth: We’ll make a flavorful ramen broth using chicken or vegetable stock, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Noodles: Look for straight, dried ramen noodles in the Asian food section of your supermarket. I like these better than the instant ramen noodles because they’re more substantial and don’t absorb liquid quite so fast. Chicken: To make this dish a full, satisfying meal I’ve added chicken, but you can easily leave it out and make this recipe vegetarian. Other cooked meats, such as pork or steak would also be delicious! Eggs: To get perfectly cooked eggs for ramen, you’ll want to boil them for 6 minutes. This will give you firm egg whites and jammy, soft yolks. Bok Choi: Baby bok choi is so pretty in the bowls, and very easy to cook! If you can’t find it, spinach or kale will also work. Mushrooms: If you can find shiitake mushrooms, definitely use them in this recipe. Replace them with regular button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms if needed. Other Toppings: Choose your favorites! I’m using sliced green onion, sriracha sauce, sesame seeds, and grated carrots.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Homemade Ramen
Recipe Tips
Choose the right noodles. You should only use instant ramen noodles here as a last resort. Straight ramen noodles can be found at Asian grocery stores or some large supermarkets. If you do decide to use instant noodles, throw away that seasoning packet – you don’t need it! Adjust the broth. You don’t need to adjust the recipe (it’s already really tasty!), but if you have mirin or rice vinegar on hand, add a splash of each to make the shuyu ramen broth extra authentic. You can also simmer the broth with dried shiitake mushrooms if you can find them. Strain the broth. If you don’t want pieces of ginger and garlic in your soup, you can strain them away after simmering. I suggest cutting them into larger pieces so that it’s easier. Instead of soft-boiled eggs, try soy sauce marinated eggs! Make it gluten free. Look for gluten free noodles and be sure to use gluten free soy sauce.
Storing Tips
You can make the easy ramen broth recipe and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, I suggest cooking the noodles and preparing the toppings fresh. Once you’ve added the noodles to the broth, they will start to soften, so leftovers with noodles already in them won’t be as good. Bring 2 inches of water to a gentle simmer, then using a spoon carefully lower the eggs into the water and cook for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the hot water immediately, and place in an ice water bath to cool. Carefully peel under running water then slice lengthwise to serve.
How to Serve Homemade Ramen
Ramen is best served in large soup bowls. The bowls in this photo I use specifically for Asian soups like this one. To keep things authentic, serve the soup with chopsticks and a small ladle-style spoon for the broth.
Other Ramen Soup Toppings
You can get as creative as you like with the topping you add to your homemade ramen! Try some of these ideas:
Vegetables: green onions, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, bok choi, spinach, kale, edamame, green beans, sugar snap peas, daikon radish, broccoli, corn. Protein: Poached shrimp, thinly sliced beef, rotisserie chicken, roast pork. For Flavor: sesame seeds, hot sauce, sliced jalapeno, red pepper flakes, nori sheets, kimchi, chopped cilantro.
This homemade ramen recipe is so easy to make with common ingredients. You can make ramen whenever the mood strikes, and your family will thank you for it! © Little Sunny Kitchen
