While the soup and noodles in this recipe for Easy Japanese Ramen Noodles are store-bought, the toppings are homemade. You can enjoy great ramen that is nearly identical to the ones you order from restaurants by making good toppings with a little bit of effort.
I promised to post ramen after the hot summer in the northern hemisphere was over when I posted Yakibuta (Braised Pork). Although the hot weather probably isn’t over just yet, I decided to post a ramen recipe today because I was so eager to do so. I hope the hot weather is a little bit less intense because September is the first month of autumn in the northern hemisphere.
You can make ramen in many ways at home. The simplest way is to purchase a packet of ramen that comes with dried noodles and soup stock powder in a paper cup or bowl. Simply fill the cup with hot water, then wait a few minutes. These are called cup ramen.
The next easiest is to purchase a ramen packet that includes dried noodles and a sachet of soup stock powder. The soup stock powder is added after the noodles have finished cooking in a pot.
These are collectively called instant ramen. I’ve tried them before, but I didn’t really enjoy them because the flavor and texture of the noodles were very different from the ramen sold in ramen shops.
I had to find a quick recipe to make ramen that was comparable to the ramen from the store because I love ramen and eat it quite frequently. Making homemade ramen soup was one of the many techniques I tried before settling on the one I’ll describe below.
I basically use fresh egg noodles, a sachet of pre-made toppings, and condensed ramen soup stock from the store.
Typically, I purchase Chinese thin egg noodles from an Asian grocer. They are reasonably priced and cook quickly, in just 30 to 60 seconds. If you are not serving a large number of people, you will have leftovers because one pack of fresh egg noodles serves 4-5 people. But they keep a while in the fridge.
Asian/Japanese grocery stores also sell dried ramen noodles. Noodles that are dried can be kept for a long time in the pantry, but cooking time is longer (about 5-7 minutes).
The fresh noodles in the top photo are from Asian grocery stores, and the dried noodles in the bottom photo are from Japanese grocery stores.
Egg noodles can be purchased already cooked, but I find that they often become too soft and aren’t al dente. Ramen is not appropriate for hokkein noodles or chow mein noodles.
Using the sachet of condensed ramen soup stock is the best part of my simple ramen. Contrary to instant noodles, the flavor of condensed ramen soup is fairly similar to that of real ramen soup. One sachet makes one serve.
The sachets come in different flavours, i. e. the flavors of soy sauce, miso, salt, and tonkatsu (pork bone). Typically, each sachet has a small amount of fat and concentrated ramen soup liquid in it. There are several brands, and one of them even includes two compartments with different ingredients.
Simply add cooked noodles to a serving bowl of diluted concentrated stock that has been diluted with boiling water. The instructions of most sachet say “add 300ml (10. 1 oz), but I find it to be far too salty, so I typically add 400–500 ml (13–14 5 – 16. 9oz).
Note: You can open the sachet without using scissors. On one side of the sachet, usually the long side with the Japanese writing (which states that you can cut anywhere from this side), it can be cut anywhere. If the sachet isn’t made this way, it should have a slit on the side from which you can open it (see the arrows on the top left sachet for an example).
PS: I should mention that I published a recipe for homemade Rame broth after publishing this article. Here is the link to a recipe for homemade ramen broth if you’d prefer to make your own.
I frequently eat ramen, so I occasionally change the toppings to keep it interesting. I have three favourites:
Ramen in any soup flavor with standard ramen toppings is known as standard ramen. e. yakibuta (braised pork) slices, a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed), a boiled egg, and chopped shallots (scallions).
Tanmen: Ramen with stir-fried meat and vegetables (similar to Happosai (Combination Stir Fry)) as toppings. The soup can be salty or have a soy sauce flavor.
Moyashi ramen: Ramen with toppings of stir-fried pork and bean sprouts in either a soy sauce- or miso-flavored soup.
Although there are countless combinations of toppings, the most widely used vegetables for toppings include bean sprouts, shallots (scallions), cabbage, wakame seaweed, English spinach, corn kernels, Chinese cabbage, buck choy, carrot, and roasted seaweed.
I provided a variety of soup stocks to go with various toppings, but these are just my preferences. You can mix and match to your liking.
what you’ll love about this easy chicken ramen
Real Japanese ramen, the kind my Honey raves about, requires years of practice and great skill to master. I wanted to make him a straightforward, readily available ramen noodle soup that made him think of Japan.
A killer chicken soup base with garlic, ginger, shitake mushrooms, and soy sauce, filled with wavy ramen noodles and slices of tender chicken, and topped with fresh spring onions and a soft-boiled egg—this is how I made ramen, though I chose chicken instead of pork.
While my version may not be entirely authentic, it is a flavorful, comforting soup just in time for the unmistakably crisp, chilly autumn weather that these first days of October have ushered in. My version can be on the table in less than an hour, and half that if you choose to use store-bought chicken.
Why This Method Is the Best for Most Home Cooks
Ramen is a soup made up of noodles and a flavorful broth. Although additions like meat and eggs make the bowl into a meal, we won’t focus on them in this recipe. Here, our focus is on choosing the best noodles and a richly flavorful chicken broth.
Do we need to add sugar?
Instead of sweetening the food, sugar is used to balance the saltiness of the miso and the doubanjiang (fermented bean paste). Before adding more, try adding 1 teaspoon at a time and tasting the soup first.
FAQ
How Japanese ramen noodles are made?
Wheat flour, water, salt, and kansui, an alkaline water that gives the noodles elasticity, are the ingredients used to make instant ramen noodles. First, the ingredients are kneaded together to make a dough. The next step is to roll out the dough and cut it into thin noodles. After dehydration, the noodles are steamed before being packaged.
How do you make Japanese ramen noodles at home?
- Warm water can be made into an alkaline solution by adding lye water or baked baking soda.
- Mix the flour with the alkaline solution, then form the dough into a ball.
- Rest dough 30 minutes.
- “Knead” 2-3 minutes with rolling pin.
- Roll dough flat with pasta machine.
- Cut dough into long strips of noodles.
What ingredients are in Japanese ramen?
Four ingredients are necessary to make ramen noodles: wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui (saltwater). Alkaline mineral water known as kansui contains sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and occasionally a trace amount of phosphoric acid.
What are 3 main ingredients for ramen?
Ramen broth can be classified by ingredients into three categories. The first one is chicken broth made from chicken carcass. The second is a combination broth made with Japanese dashi stock and chicken. Tonkotsu, which is made from pork bones, is the third option.
