A hearty bowl of spicy ramen soup, garnished with poached chicken, fresh noodles, crunchy vegetables and soy sauce pickled eggs. A recipe not only for winter but one that's so easy to follow, you will want to make it throughout the year!
Ramen is one of these dishes, that is so addictive! It has become an incredibly popular dish around the world, almost considered as high-quality fast food. Once you find your favourite ramen place, you quickly become a regular there - at least that's what happened with us!
One day, I decided to make ramen noodle soup from-scratch at home! It's something new for me but trying out different ways and using common ingredients, I think I nailed it pretty well! It is darn close to a traditional bowl of Japanese ramen!!
So, when you make it, I will be eager to hear your thoughts!
Jump to:
why you should make your own ramen
Making ramen soup might be intimidating but when you read our step by step recipe, you will realize making it, is easier than you think!
Why we love this recipe:
- ramen soup is comfort food at it's best
- the soup can be ready to eat in 1 hour
- the recipe will feed 4-6 people so perfect for families and when meal planning
- homemade ramen is a healthy dish that powers your immune system (great for winters)
- you learn how to make one of the most popular classic dishes around the world, that not many would attempt
Besides, ramen is a flavourful, comforting soup that will give you a whole lot of satisfaction!
INGREDIENTS FOR RAMEN BROTH
To make the broth from-scratch, here is what you need:
Whole Chicken preferably organic. The broth gets better using quality ingredients and most flavour will come from the chicken.
Onion & Leek is what goes in my broth as they add a nice umami flavour. Unlike French cooking, no celery and carrots are needed for this broth.
Garlic & Ginger both fresh for a nice balanced broth.
White Miso Paste is available at your local Asian grocery store.
Mirin is a rice wine and adds some sweetness to the broth.
Soy Sauce for saltiness and a touch of umami.
Sesame Oil for a deep, rich nutty flavour.
MAKING CHICKEN RAMEN BROTH
Traditionally chicken broth would be made with only a few ingredients and then more flavours are added in a second step. For simplicity, I combine the steps in one, to have the soup ready straight away.
Firstly, place the chicken in a deep pot, big enough to allow the chicken to be completely submerged in water. Now, bring to a boil and skim off the fat. I use a ladle to do that as you really want to remove all the foamy white bits.
Next, add all the ingredients. For a darker colour and deeper flavour, I use burnt onions, I have outlined in the recipe below how to do this.
Now, bring the stock back to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes, enough to cook the chicken. Remove from the heat and let it sit as is. After 5 minutes, remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool.
Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the legs and breasts from the carcase and portion them up for the soup.
seasoning the broth
I am aware that the broth is the most important part of the ramen therefore it should not be achieved by taking short cuts. However, I promised a recipe that can be done in an hour hence I leave it to you to decide whether to reduce the broth or not before serving.
Taste the broth after you have removed the chicken. If it is too weak for your taste, reduce the broth until you are happy with the flavour. If not required, add enough seasoning to inject more flavour. Overall, you want to keep it rather neutral as you will add the tare to your ramen.
WHAT IS JAPANESE TARE
Japanese tare is the flavouring added to the ramen. Tare can be in the form of anything! There are no rules so it is totally up to you. For our spicy chicken ramen, I decided on this homemade crisp chili and garlic oil packed with flavour!
When added to the ramen, it instantly boosts the flavour and takes it to the next level!
I also sprinkled Toasted sesame seeds to add more nuttiness and give the ramen that crunchy element.
Other tare could be chicken or pork fat, bonito salt, five spice chili paste or roasted garlic puree.
WHAT GOES IN RAMEN
The toppings are what makes the bowl of ramen so nutritious. Again, you can adjust them to your liking but I think, I have included most of the classic toppings in this Spicy Chicken Ramen Soup.
- Ramen Noodles are made with just flour, baking powder and water. Don't confuse ramen noodles with egg noodles even so they look similar. You might find fresh ramen noodles in a speciality store otherwise use dried ones.
- Bean Sprouts add a nice crunch to the soup. I blanched them in salt water for 30 seconds.
- Pok Choy or kai lang work well in the soup.
- Spring Onions or scallions freshly chopped.
- Nori Seaweed looks pretty and gives you seaweed flavour.
- Golden Garlic for crispness, can be replaced with fried shallots.
- Coriander for some sharpness and garnish
- Soy Sauce Pickled Eggs see below
Other toppings could be - pickled garlic, black fungus mushrooms, sliced chillies, tofu, edamame, kimchi, corn, pickled ginger and many more.
PREPARING THE TOPPINGS
While the stock is cooking, use that time to prepare your toppings.
vegetables
Cut the pok choy in half and blanche in salted water for about 1 minute and drain. In the same water, blanche the bean sprouts for about 30 seconds. Refresh both under cold running water as soon as you have blanched them.
Next, cut the spring onions into fine slices and the nori sheets in squares.
soy sauce pickled eggs
If you want to make these yummy soy eggs, the one's with a creamy centre, you need to plan ahead. The eggs should be marinated for at least 12 hours, if not 2 days.
See the difference in the picture below. It changes dramatically after 2 days.
how to boil eggs
To make them, soft boil the eggs. Add the eggs when the water is boiling and cook for 6 minutes. Rinse under cold running water until completely cooled down.
Peel and marinate with soy sauce and mirin (eggs need to be submerged).
Cut the soy eggs into halves before assembling the Ramen bowl.
noodles
Cook the ramen noodles last as you don't want them to get all soggy, cooking them too early!
Best, cook the noodles as per packet instructions, once everything else is ready!
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE RAMEN BOWL
Reheat the vegetables in a pot of water. Arrange the noodles, chicken and vegetables in your chosen bowl and pour the hot ramen soup on top.
Garnish with all the toppings and serve with chop sticks and a soup spoon!
HOW TO EAT RAMEN NOODLES
There’s no right or wrong way to eat ramen, but here are some tips to make sure you have the best ramen experience!
Ramen noodles are usually eaten in large bowls with chopsticks and a soup spoon. When eating ramen, hold the spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other.
Reason being, when you lift the noodles with your chopsticks, you need the spoon under so that if you drop them, they’ll land on the spoon rather than in the soup. The last thing you want is making a big splash for the wrong reasons😄
Otherwise just make a ramen bite in your soup spoon by taking the broth, noodles, and a bit of topping onto it, and eat it that way!
Also like me, If you have ever wondered why people at a ramen shop have their heads right over their ramen bowl and hardly talk, well, there is a good reason for it!
Ramen is meant to be eaten immediately, so that the noodles and toppings don't become mushy! I have also been told, that if the noodles remain in the soup for long, they release starch into the soup which spoils the balance of the broth.
So, just this one time - forget etiquettes and slurp away to your heart's content!
FAQ's
Yes, absolutely. I suggest planning ahead and deciding which ingredients can be made ahead. Make the ramen soup, chicken and pickled eggs the day before and just cook the noodles and vegetables on the day you intend to serve the ramen.
The broth turns cloudy when the stock has boiled instead of just simmering. Now, when it comes to ramen this is not necessarily bad, most ramen broths are rather cloudy than clear. But if you after a clear broth, make sure the stock only simmers.
That's it! This is all I have to share about this recipe! Do you now feel equipped enough to make your own ramen noodle soup? Don't be intimidated by the ingredients list and the time it takes. Making your own chicken ramen soup is definitely worth it and if you follow our step by step recipe, it's actually pretty easy😉
Ramen Variations
There are many different ramen dishes out there you can try to make. Here are some ideas:
- Slow cooker beef ramen soup
- A vegan nori and shitake miso soup
- This recipe for pork miso soup
If you would like to try another Asian inspired recipe of our's, we highly recommend this Hainanese chicken recipe for a family meal or /and this kale and quinoa salad with salmon and miso dressing if you are looking for a light lunch.
Enjoy!
Homemade Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
Equipment
- stock pot
- small pot
- strainer
- soup ladle
Ingredients
for the pickled eggs
- 6 eggs
- 110 millilitre water
- 110 millilitre soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon mirin
for the ramen soup
- 1 whole organic chicken (2.2kg/4.8lb)
- 5 litre water
- 1 white onion
- 1 leek (dark green top removed)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 thumb ginger
- 3 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- salt to taste
for the toppings
- 6 small pok choy
- 500 gram fresh ramen noodles (28og/10oz dried noodles)
- 3 spring onions
- 250 gram bean sprouts
- 4 nori sheets
- 50 gram crispy fried garlic
- 100 gram crispy chili oil
- ⅓ bunch coriander picked
- 30 gram toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
for the pickled eggs
- Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes. Cool down completely in cold water and peel. Mix water with the soy sauce and mirin and add the eggs. Marinate the eggs submerged in the liquid for at least 6 hours, preferably 12 hours.
for the ramen soup
- In a large stock pot add water and submerge the whole chicken. Place on high heat and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile prep the burnt onion. Cut the onion in half and place the cut side down in a pan on high heat. No oil is required to burn the onion.
- When the stock has boiled, reduce to low heat and skim the white foam floating on the surface with a ladle.
- Add the burnt onion, leek, garlic, ginger, miso paste, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and season lightly with salt.
- Now bring the stock back onto high heat. Once the stock has boiled, reduce to a simmer. After the stock has cooked for 45 minutes remove the pot from the heat and leave it to cool.
- After 5 minutes remove the chicken and let it cool. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the legs and breasts from the carcass and portion them up for the ramen soup.
- Taste the soup and adjust seasoning if needed. Strain through a sieve and keep warm.
for the toppings
- While the stock is cooking, prepare your toppings. Cut the pok choy in half and blanche in salted water for about 1 minute. Refresh under cold running water.
- Blanche the bean sprouts the same way for about 30 seconds.
- Cut the spring onions into fine slices and cut the nori sheets in squares. Cut the soy eggs in half.
- Once the ramen soup and other ingredients are ready, Cook the ramen noodles, as per packet instructions.
to plate up
- Reheat the vegetables in a pot of water. Arrange the noodles, chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot ramen soup on top. Garnish with all the prepared toppings and serve with chop sticks and soup spoons.
Sabrina
Super easy and delicious Ramen recipe!
Will definitely do it again!