Shio Ramen
intro
Light, clear salt-seasoned ramen with springy noodles, umami broth, and classic toppings—a bright, comforting one-bowl Japanese noodle meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare the shio tare
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 2 tbsp fine sea salt, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp cooking sake, 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp kombu dashi powder, and 60ml (1/4 cup) of the chicken stock. Stir continuously for 3 minutes until salt and dashi fully dissolve; do not bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
Simmer the soup broth
Pour the remaining 1740ml chicken stock into a large stockpot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer (small bubbles breaking at the surface, ~90°C/194°F), then stir in the prepared shio tare and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and hold at a steady simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors; do not boil rapidly, as this will cloud the broth and make the salt taste harsh.
Cook soft-boiled eggs
Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Gently lower 4 room-temperature large eggs into the water with a slotted spoon, set a timer for 6 minutes 30 seconds. When the timer elapses, immediately transfer eggs to an ice water bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking, then peel and slice each in half lengthwise to reveal runny, golden yolks.
Boil the ramen noodles
Bring a separate large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 800g fresh ramen noodles, stirring immediately with chopsticks to prevent sticking, and cook for exactly 2 minutes (noodles should be springy with a slight firm bite at the center, no mushy texture). Drain noodles thoroughly, shaking off excess water, and divide evenly between 4 deep 1L ramen bowls.
Warm the chashu pork
Keep the shio broth at a low simmer, then add 200g sliced braised pork chashu to the broth and warm for 1 minute, until the slices are heated through and tender. Do not overcook the chashu, as this will make it tough and dry.
Assemble the ramen bowls
Ladle 435ml (1 3/4 cups) of hot shio broth over the noodles in each bowl. Arrange toppings evenly per serving: 50g warmed chashu slices, 30g menma, 2 soft-boiled egg halves, a 1 tbsp sprinkle of thinly sliced green onion, 2 nori strips leaning against the inner bowl edge, and a 3/4 tsp sprinkle of toasted white sesame seeds. Serve immediately while hot.
Tips
2.Fresh ramen noodles cook far faster than dried wheat noodles—stick to the exact 2-minute cook time to avoid mushy noodles, and never add salt to the noodle water, as the broth is already properly seasoned.
3.For the easiest soft-boiled egg peeling, use eggs that are 3-5 days old rather than freshly laid eggs, and shock them fully in ice water immediately after boiling to separate the shell membrane from the egg white.
OMG this shio ramen was a total game changer for our weekly family dinner! I was so intimidated to make homemade ramen at first, but the steps were way more straightforward than I thought. The clear, salty broth is SO good, even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds. I topped ours with soft boiled eggs, corn, and sliced chashu I had leftover from last weekend. 10/10 will make again!
Tried this last night for a potluck with my roommates, everyone went crazy for it! Only note: I found the broth a little lighter on salt than I prefer for shio, so I added a tiny extra pinch of sea salt and a splash of mirin to bump up the flavor. Cook time took me closer to an hour total because I prepped all the toppings from scratch, but totally worth it.
Meal prepped this on Sunday for work lunches all week and it held up way better than I expected! I stored the broth and noodles separately so the noodles didn’t get mushy, and just added fresh toppings each day when I heated it up. Saved me so much money instead of ordering ramen takeout every week. Will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation.
Super excited to try this recipe! Quick question though: is there a good substitute for kombu if I can’t find it at my local grocery store? The closest Asian market is 40 minutes from my house and I don’t have time to drive there this weekend, and I don’t want to skip it and make the broth taste flat.
Made this for my partner’s birthday since shio is their favorite ramen, and they said it was better than the ramen shop we go to downtown! I made the hand-pulled noodle recipe linked on your site to go with it, and the combo was unreal. Only oopsie: I overcooked my soft boiled eggs by 2 minutes so the yolks weren’t runny, but that was totally my bad, not the recipe’s fault.
I’ve tried three different homemade shio ramen recipes this month and this one is by far the most authentic tasting! The balance of salt, umami, and that little hint of ginger in the broth is exactly what I’ve been trying to replicate from my favorite ramen spot when I lived in Tokyo. So happy I found this!
Super doable even in my tiny dorm kitchen! I used a cheap electric hot pot to make the broth, pre-cooked chashu from the Asian market near campus, and instant noodles I had in my pantry when I ran out of fresh ones, and it still slapped. Way better than dining hall ramen for sure, and way cheaper than takeout. My roommate already asked for the link.
Wait, the cook time says 45 minutes, is that including prep for toppings? I’m making this for a dinner party on Saturday and need to time it right so everything’s hot when guests show up. I’m planning to do bamboo shoots, narutomaki, green onions, soft eggs, and nori as toppings.
I was worried this would be too fancy for my kids who only eat plain buttered noodles half the time, but they devoured it! I let them pick their own toppings (they went ham on the corn and extra sesame seeds, skipped the green onions obviously) and it made them way more willing to try something new. Next time I’m going to add a little spicy chili oil on the side for me and my wife.
Really solid base recipe! I loved the broth, but I wish the recipe had more specific notes on how much salt to add if you’re using homemade chicken stock vs store bought. I used low sodium store bought stock and ended up undersalting at first, but once I adjusted it turned out great. Would make again for sure.