Why Make Ramen Broth at Home?

Ramen is one of Japan's most celebrated comfort foods, and at the heart of every great bowl is the broth. While instant ramen has its place, making broth from scratch is a deeply rewarding process that transforms your kitchen into something close to a ramen-ya (ramen shop). The key is understanding the building blocks — and then layering them with intention.

The Three Components of Ramen

Before you start, it helps to understand that ramen is built from three separate elements that come together in the bowl:

  • Soup base (スープ): The main broth — typically chicken, pork (tonkotsu), seafood, or a combination.
  • Tare (タレ): A concentrated seasoning sauce (soy, miso, or shio/salt) added to the soup just before serving.
  • Toppings (具材): Chashu pork, soft-boiled eggs, nori, menma (bamboo shoots), scallions, and more.

Choosing Your Broth Base

For a beginner-friendly but deeply flavorful broth, a chicken-based or hybrid chicken-and-pork broth is a great starting point. Tonkotsu (creamy pork bone broth) requires prolonged boiling and is more time-intensive.

Classic Chicken Broth Base

  1. Blanch 1 kg of chicken carcasses or wings in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse. This removes impurities and keeps the broth clean.
  2. Place the chicken in a large pot with 2.5 litres of cold water.
  3. Add aromatics: a 5 cm piece of ginger (sliced), 4 garlic cloves (crushed), and 2 green onion stalks.
  4. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not boil vigorously — a gentle simmer keeps the broth clear and silky.
  5. Cook for 2–3 hours, skimming foam occasionally.
  6. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and season lightly with salt.

Making a Simple Shoyu Tare

Tare is what gives your ramen its signature flavour. A shoyu (soy sauce) tare is the most versatile and forgiving for home cooks.

  • Combine 100ml soy sauce, 50ml mirin, and 50ml sake in a small saucepan.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
  • Add a small piece of kombu and a handful of bonito flakes off the heat. Steep for 10 minutes, then strain.
  • Store in the fridge — it keeps for weeks.

Assembling the Bowl

This is where the magic happens. Warm your serving bowl first (pour in hot water, let it sit, then empty it). Then:

  1. Add 2–3 tablespoons of tare to the bottom of the bowl.
  2. Ladle in 300–350ml of hot broth and stir gently to combine.
  3. Add a portion of freshly cooked ramen noodles.
  4. Arrange your toppings neatly on top.

Tips for a Better Bowl

  • Use fresh ramen noodles if you can find them — the texture is noticeably better than dried.
  • Fat matters: A tablespoon of chicken or pork fat (mayu) drizzled on top adds richness and aroma.
  • Season at the end: Taste your broth before serving and adjust with more tare if needed.
  • Don't skip the aromatic oil: A few drops of sesame oil or chilli oil finish the bowl beautifully.

Making ramen from scratch takes time, but very little of it is active work. Once you have your components ready, assembling a bowl takes minutes — and the result is miles ahead of anything from a packet.