For the US readers, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We spent quite a bit of time cooking (& photo shooting) over the long break and our family enjoyed the slow days staying up late watching children’s movies. I just got back to blogging today so I’ll respond to your questions and comments as soon as I can. Don’t forget to check the giveaway winners – they are listed at the end of today’s recipe!
My friend Cindy (aka Jeno) from Weeknite Meals had asked me for Shoyu Ramen (“shoyu” means soy sauce in Japanese) before the summer and I finally finished my recipe after testing several times. If you don’t (or can’t) eat spicy food like myself, don’t panic yet. This amount of spicy level is “endurable” for people who cannot tolerable spicy food, even me. If you prefer no spicy taste at all for yourself or young children, you can use regular chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and not spicy chili bean paste (la doubanjiang). Of course, if you like it more spicy, please increase the amount based on your personal preference. I hope you enjoy this Shoyu Ramen!
Ingredients:
- 2 packages ramen noodles
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ inch ginger, minced
- 2 tsp. spicy chili bean paste with chili (la doubanjiang)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups dashi stock
- 2 ½ Tbsp. soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp. sake
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- Homemade Chashu
- Menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
- 1 soft boiled egg
- Chopped green onion
- 2 Nori sheets
- A few slices of naruto (fish cake)
- Shiraga Negi
- Ito Togarashi (Red chili pepper threads) (optional)
- White pepper
- La-Yu (Japanese chili oil) for more spice
Instructions:
- Prepare toppings. Fresh ramen noodle will be done cooking in less than 2-3 minutes therefore you should prepare all of your toppings before you start cooking the ramen noodle.
- Prepare noodles. In a large pot, fill 2/3 of the pot with water and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and set aside until you are ready to cook ramen noodle.
- Meanwhile, mince garlic and ginger.
- Heat sesame oil in a pot that fits 4 cups of water. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant.
- Add spicy chili bean paste and stir.
- Add the rest of Soup ingredients and simmer for a few minutes.
- Check the flavor. It should be a little salty. Strain the soup through cheese cloth and put the soup back into the pot.
- Keep the soup simmering (not boiling) until you are ready to serve.
- Now ready to cook noodles. Loosen up the noodles before putting them into the boiling water. Cook noodles according to the package instructions. My personal recommendation is to reduced the noodle cooking time than what is on the package label. The reason for this is because once you pour the soup over the noodle, it continues to "cook" it.
- Drain the noodles completely and put it in a serving bowl.
- Pour the soup in the bowl and decorate with your toppings. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
*****
Now here are the giveaway winners. Congratulations to the winners! Please send me an email with your full name and your address so that I can ship your gift as soon as possible. Thank you everyone for joining the giveaways and leaving the kind comments. I hope to host the next one soon because my 1 year blog anniversary is coming up. 
Tara Webb
StaceyN
jacki
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 94 comments… read them below or add one }
looks beautiful nami! Such a flavorful dish. You inspire me to cook more Japanese more often which I love. So thank you for sharing your awesome posts.
Wow, this looks so wonderful! I saw you mentioned fresh ramen noodles, but do the dried ones (you know, the cheap ones most used by poor college students) work the same way? I drove by a large Asian market the other day but it was closed, but I’m planning a trip again this week to see what they have. Maybe they will have the fresh noodles. Anyway, this soup looks so good! I would make it extra spicy, we like it hot!
Yes, the dried one works the same way. But fresh noodles are much tastier~~!
Lovely photos! The red pepper threads are pretty…I’ve never really seen them before. Is it really menma that they usually use in ramen soups? I guess I can just use regular bamboo shoot? I love the look of your chashu too…nice and fatty :p
Menma has certain flavor, so it’s not just bamboo shoot. It’s very common topping for ramen.
Did not win again
I hope I win your future giveaways.
Anyways that ramen seriously looks so amazing, looks like it came out from the kitchen of a five star hotel.
Nami, your ramen look so delicious. I don’t mind to have a extra big serving…. any more left? Have a nice day.
Omg Nami, that soup stock looks incredible… and the final product too! That bowl of ramen is calling out to me through the mist like a delicious, soupy siren! Ramen is definitely going to be one of the things I’m trying soon, since I’ve been working through soba and udon now! Can’t wait to try it!
Congratulations to the winners – of course, I’ll ask my wife to comfort me while I go and cry about not winning – boooo!
Have a great day
There’s nothing better in Winter than a big bowl of this-yours looks wonderful Nami. And welcome back from your holiday!
lovely bowl of ramen!
Nice to see you back on action after the holidays, my husband and I just had a bowl of ramen for afternoon lunch today, but your ramen is definitely look better than them. Congrats to all winners .
This lovely dish puts those packages of dried ramen to shame. Excellent work Nami and so glad you enjoyed the long weekend.
This sounds so gorgeous Nami and really simple too, as usual your pictures and props are stunning, I’ve been kind of busy and missed your giveways, so gutted!!
that is just so pretty Nami! Glad you had a lovely Thanksgiving break with your family.
Nami-san, When I lived in Japan, many times they served ‘seasoned egg’ with the ramen. It was soft boiled, but it had been marinated or soaked in a dark liquid. It gives the egg a smoky flavor, not sweet like teriyaki sauce. Do you think it’s straight shoyu or a mix of something? Maybe some hoisin and shoyo? I used to get one egg, then break it open so that the yolk became part of the broth.
BTW, the eggs in Japan are AMAZING!! They have a bright orange yolk and a wonderful richness that’s not found in farmed American eggs. The closest I’ve found to match them are organic, omega-rich eggs.
We call the seasoned egg “ni tamago” or “ajitsuke tamago”. My husband and I were just talking that I should have made them for ramen, to be more authentic. I wasn’t planning to make the ramen (& photo shoot) that day, so I didn’t prepare the egg previous day.
I’ll probably make the How To page just for ni tamago/ajitsuke tamago. But meanwhile here’s my recipe.
Ingredients:
Soft boiled egg (see my How To page), peeled
200ml dashi stock
100ml soy sauce
100ml mirin
1 tsp. rice vinegar
Directions:
1) In a saucepan, bring dashi, soy sauce, and mirin to a boil and turn off.
2) After cool down, put the sauce in a container and put the egg in it.
3) Marinate the egg over night.
Nami, this looks so wonderful and delicious! I’ve never made homemade ramen broth, I will have to try making your recipe soon!
I never quite think I’m going to get the soup base right…this is one of my favorite dishes. I want this for lunch!
I don’t have half the ingredients but if I did it would be tonight’s dinner! As usual Nami, this looks fantastic
Oh my goodness! I love that little mushroom chopstick holder! My son would love it too – he has a bit of a thing for mushrooms…
I love ramen and your ramen looks so delicious. Wish I can have a bowl right now.
Congrats to all the winners !!
The color of the broth looks incredible, spicy and hearty. Perfect for the current weather.
Gorgeous noodle bowl! I want some right now, and it’s breakfast time for me
It sounds fantastic and looks much more complex than I thought. I have always thought shoyu ramen is what I made with udon once (only soy sauce, mirin and dashi mixture). I see this has richer flavours. I love it!
Otherwise I have fallen in love with your bowl. This is this type of Japanese design I am crazy for.
Congratulations to the winners!
What a beautiful ramen..very appealing and delicious looking! I adore your photos, too! Congrats to all winners!
Nami, have a wonderful week ahead, and safe trip soon!!
Hello Nami!! Now… this recipe is a Japanese food seminar! It looks so good, I’m thinking that if I find the right ingredients (I think I will) then I will try making it..
The white slices with the pink swirl are the “naruto” ? Oh my God, they are beautiful!!
Thanks for sharing Nami, have a nice week!
Congrats to all the winners! Ramen looks so colourful and delicious Nami
Nami, thank you sooooo much for this recipe! You have no idea how happy I am, tears of joy are about to come out! My pantry has all the ingredients except the ramen noodles, which I will buy as soon as I can. Looks like tomorrow cold Houston weather can’t bring a very happy and warm family sipping on our shoyu ramen noodles!
Thank you thank you thank you!
My kids love ramen noodles, but I prepare it more Americanized – chicken, carrots, celery… This looks beautiful. I love the chile thread garnish. Reminds me saffron!
Hi Nami, another beautiful and delicous looking soup. I just realized that I can make dashi with just the kombu. Love your photos and your dishware also. Have a happy week. Cheers!!
This looks so delicious! I made Ramen for the first time recently, it’s so good! Can’t wait to try this one. I’m so glad you had a nice weekend with your family, sounds lovely!
Nami, this looks like the perfect bowl of ramen!! I need you to come to my apartment and make it for me!
This one looks good Nami. I will try this one tomorrow.
Nami, this looks lovely! I have cooked with soba, but I have never cooked with fresh ramen.
Delicious bowl of Ramen…. Nami.
I can really enjoy one of this now.
I am too getting back to blog today, had a crazy but lovely weekend with family..
B/W did not win again:-(….
Next time
Hi Nami
Your shoyu ramen looks perfect. I think I’d be happy eating this everyday at this time of year. Love the bowl you served it in, too.
And congrats to your winners!
Wow! What an unbelievable bowl of goodness! Everything good is in it! I’d love to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Nami! Glad your weekend was fun!
Oh yes, a biiiig bowl of your ramen (spicy for me pls
) would be perfect for dinner now! Thank you so much for sharing, Nami!
Beautiful! I always make ramen for the boy, but we prefer miso ramen. And with dashi powder it’s so fast and nutritious, too
.
I would have a hard time choosing between this and your corn chowder! You eat so well at your house
Nami, this looks absolutely delicious and perfect for cold evenings!
My daughter loves Ramen noodles. I learnt some new ingredients from you to add in her noodles .
Oh Nami, I would love a bowl of this!! I love Japanese noodle dishes so much! Yum!
I want this for lunch today–love the combination of colors and textures you have in that bowl!
presentation is fabulous looks wonderful
This looks both beautiful and delicious – I’m crazy about ramen. I can tolerate somewhat spicy, just not too spicy, so this is great!
Oooh this looks delicious! Just like what I would get at the ramen store here! Can’t wait to try it!
This sounds fabulous as always Nami! I’m glad you enjoyed the long weekend!
Delicious! Easier than I had expected too – love it!
Wow this looks super awesome Nami! I wish I had the patience to make something like this, I bet it taste amazing.
I love ramen and this looks so delicious. You have such a gift for making food look beautiful, Nami!
Nami san,
Your Ramen looks gorgeous and delicious! Ramen is so perfect for a cold day. My foreign friends never miss going to Ramen restaurants when being in Japan and they always say that they don’t mind eating it everyday:-)
Your dish looks wonderful but what is that white slice that looks like a roulade laced with something pink in it? I want to try that pretty little thing.
Congrat’s to all those that won your giveaway. You had lots of great items to share.
I am at home, battling a cold right now, so I can’t tell you how I long for a big bowl of that steaming ramen. That’s my kind of cure for what ails ya.
Nice to see you back and that you had a chance to hang out with the family for late night movies. That is wonderful! And I love ramen. I usually either go to a ramen house or make the instant kind at home. But this will inspire to make a better homemade version next time! =)
The first pic is goregous… a stunning bowl!! I love spicy ramen, thanks for sharing!!
Hi Nami, welcome back to the web!
The bean paste makes the soup more kind of yellow?
The red chilli peper threads give the dish a unique look on the picture, or I think the red threads are chillie, right?
You cook restaurant food
since I have no idea about Japanese cooking I just treat myself like this in restaurants 
This looks unbelievably good, Nami. I had no idea that you could even buy fresh ramen noodles. I am going to keep my eyes open for them now. I’m guessing in the refrigerated section, but probably more likely at an Asian market?
I love your photography and detailed description and instructions. The soup looks great!
I would love to try making this for my daughter.
When I see the word “Spicy” I am sold!! That is a lovely bowl of ramen.
That ramen looks soo good! I have to try it!
おはようございます
ラーメンとかうどんのスープを手作りっていいですね〜〜
とっても難しいので、私はあんまり作らないのですが
今度うどんのスープとか作る事があったら、教えて下さい！！
Nami, I am so glad that you posted this recipe, you know how I love noodle soups…:D)!! This is definitely something that I’d try over the weekend, I can’t wait…!!
What a beautiful bowl of spicy shoyu ramen, my daughter will love this! I love coming here and learning how to cook such wonderful Japanese dishes! I was busy, over the long weekend even though I had the 3 days off from school(work). Plus my daughter’s birthday was Sunday! So I’m catching up on my blogging!
I wish you could of joined us for lunch too, but then I wish I was in SF with Elisabeth meeting you.
These spicy noodles are making my mouth water! How beautiful too!
What a flavorful dish! The soft-boiled egg on top looks beautiful!
at first glimpse at your photos I though those red pepper threads are saffron threads and was thinking : wow, those are so long threads LOL silly me.
Glad to hear you had a wonderful weekend. this dish looks great!
Wow – so excited that i am one of the winners
Fabulous soup – with a little Kimchi (i know i am addicted) i can eat this all day long 
What a stunning dish, Nami! I love all of the colors. This soup sounds spectacular. And look at those red chili pepper threads…too cool! x
Oh the essential good broth in that bowl of shoyu ramen! This is a perfect one-dish, esp for the chilly weather. Brightens up a foggy day too
It look even better than those from ramen shops. You’re a genius Nami
Beautiful dish with clear steps on how to prepare the broth. How i wish i could cook those shoyu raman like you too.
I love, love ramen!!
I am so awed at your beautiful creations — have to try this recipe, soon!
Congrats to the giveaway winners
Omg I just had dinner but now I want that too! lol I’m so excited about winning the chopsticks. My husband and I have started using chopsticks instead of forks so this is perfect! Thank you so much for the giveaway. <3
ooh i love shoyu ramen, especially if it’s spicy and together with hanjuku tamago and chasu – must haves with ramen in my opinion! your first photo is making me hungry even though i just had lunch!
Love the ramen recipe! Can’t wait to make the soup, especially when it’s so cold this week.
So nice to hear that you had a good time with the family. Staying up late to watch children’s movies is such a fun thing to do. We did the same on Thanksgiving too – eating & watching classic movies. Just wonderful!
I noticed a dash of sake that goes into the flavorful & tolerable spicy broth. Ooo..so delicious! Absolutely my type of shoyu ramen! Love the presentation Nami:)
Hi Nami! Glad to hear that you’d an enjoyable time with your family.
I gotta try this ramen in future! I love very flavorful soup base that’s why I’ll always use extra ingredients.
So, a bowl of tasty ramen depends on the broth and the cooking time of ramen. Another great lesson here.
Congrats to all the winners here! So sad that I didn’t win but that’s alright, I’ll try again! Haha!
love love love Ramen but never make it at home…may have to try!
Dear Nami
Your ramen looks delicious but what I have not seen is actually those chilli threads because they are so elegant and can be used to make a dish look so beautiful as a garnish! I would definitely look out for them in my next trip to a Japanese grocer!
even though it is getting warmer now, the soup still appeals to me. I love the richness of this stock!
This looks delicious!! I think I’d go extra spicy!!
I want I want! I can eat ramen everyday! This reminds me when I was in Japan, I had noodles almost everyday!
I find the idea of making ramen always so intimidating because of all the various elements. I am less afraid after reading your post here. Might give it a try but I will add lots more spice. The photos are just stunning Nami.
Nami, what can I say? This is a work of Art in miniature! If it tastes as good as it looks then WOW!
Oh my gosh, can I come over for dinner??? LOVE this post. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I am definitely bookmarking this… very yummy
Yum! Like a lot of people, for years I thought ramen was just a cheap pack of dehydrated noodles for poor college students. The first time a friend took me to have a real bowl in a restaurant in Manhattan, I was floored and have loved ramen ever since. Yours, as always, looks like a work of art!
wow what a bowl of wonder. I am a huge fan of ramen noodle and have attempted in my kitchen but mostly tonkosu ramen. This will definitely go on to my to-cook-list. Thanks for sharing.
On cue for me to try!
Hi Nami:
I luv, luv ramen. The best shops are in the South Bay which I’ve not tried yet. Can you let me know what type (brand name) of fresh ramen noodles you use and where you can purchase them. For me, the texture of the noodles is the utmost importance followed by the broth. I have access to Maruwa, Niji-ya and Ranch 99. Thus far I’ve been buying Sun Noodles, but it comes with a packet of assari shoyu ramen soup.
Domo arigato.
Hi Mae! I like to buy and check different brands of noodles, but lately I haven’t had ramen at home so I can’t quite remember. Njiya brand’s fresh ramen noodles (they pack noodles in clear plastic container) were pretty good (it’s been a while though). This package comes with soup but I’ve never tried the soup before and I just used noodles. Hope this helps.
{ 2 trackbacks }