Ramen Japanese noodle soup is possible with German ingredients

A hot, delicious broth bursting with umami flavor, pale yellow, wavy noodles, and colorful toppings from egg and bamboo shoots to tender meat and spring onions: that’s ramen – and ramen is so much more than just “noodle soup”! On the menus of Japanese restaurants all over the world, you’ll find this incredibly versatile dish — and once you’ve had truly authentic ramen, you’re guaranteed to come back for more! From the broth to the toppings, this light yet filling soup can be wonderfully tweaked and customized: vegan, hearty with meat, using classic Japanese ingredients or those you can find in any German supermarket. Ramen is the perfect comfort food for cold winter nights and hungover Sundays, for a quick hunger fix, or as a healthy booster when you’re coming down with a cold. 

As early as the 19th century, ramen noodles — mostly made from wheat flour — made their way from China to Japan. Today, ramen ( ラーメン and rarely written in kanji as 拉麺 ) are a staple of Japanese cuisine — and are devoured with delight around the world! These days, you can find ramen restaurants in almost every big city. The mild, distinctive taste of the broth, the interplay of such different ingredients and toppings, and the appetizing, vibrant look hit the spot for people around the globe. Have you never tried ramen? Be sure to visit a ramen restaurant near you — or grab a cooking spoon yourself. We’ll tell you how to prepare this delicious soup! 

The ingredients listed in this recipe are all very authentic. Many you can’t find in a regular supermarket, but only in specialist Asian markets. You can also buy them online. I’ve also put together a recipe that skips those specialty ingredients – the only thing you really can’t do without is ramen noodles. In a pinch, though, you can substitute with other noodles, e.g., spaghetti. I’ve also put together a list of links for the specifically Japanese ingredients and linked products in the post. That way, you can conveniently order all the truly authentic foods online! 

Ramen Soup: The Five Essential Ingredients

1. Ramen noodles
2. Broth (this can be shio, shoyu, miso, or tonkotsu broth)
3. Various toppings (e.g. vegetables or meat)
4. Ramen tare (sauce to boost flavor)
5. Oil (usually sesame oil)

In Japanese cuisine, rather exclusive ingredients are often used, and they’re not exactly cheap. But ramen is different: all the ingredients you need for classic ramen soup are very affordable. That’s why ramen has become popular across all social classes. From the super rich to students, hardly anyone can resist this Japanese specialty! Ramen is served worldwide in gourmet restaurants, cozy ramen shops, and even as a quick meal in the form of instant ramen. 

To help you make this tasty dish yourself, I’ll explain different cooking variations and offer lots of recipes to choose from. But first, let’s take a closer look at what makes up ramen broth.

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What kinds of ramen broths are there?

The flavor of the Japanese noodle soup lives and dies with the quality of the broth! In Japan, we distinguish between four main versions of this essential liquid:

• Miso (fermented soybeans)
• Shio (salt)
• Shoyu (soy sauce)
• Tonkotsu (pork bones)

Miso Ramen (broth with a paste made from fermented soybeans)

Miso ramen is one of the newer ramen broths! It was invented during the long, cold winters of Hokkaido. Its complex, intense flavor comes from miso paste. This is made from fermented soybeans and glutinous rice flour, and is often used in Japanese and Korean cuisine . Miso is naturally vegan. The miso itself tastes a bit salty, and is available in different intensity levels. The mildest, lightest type is ideal for newcomers trying miso for the first time.  I’ve had good experiences with this miso paste — I can really recommend it to you. But of course, any other miso paste will do. If you have miso at home, you can also use it to make miso soup or other delicious dishes.

Shio Ramen (salt broth)

This mostly clear and light broth gets its flavor — as the name suggests — from salt. All ramen broths are relatively salty, but with shio ramen, there aren’t any other seasoning agents like soy sauce or miso dominating the flavor. Because of this, many chefs think that shio ramen is one of the most challenging broths!  But no worries: it’s not hard to make. We explain below how you can make shio broth yourself. By the way, you don’t just need salt, but other ingredients that bring umami to the broth. 

Shoyu Ramen (soy sauce broth)

This clear, slightly brownish broth gets its flavor from Japanese soy sauce . The base is usually chicken broth, but it can also be made with pork or beef. Shoyu broth is the most commonly used ramen broth. It’s especially popular in Tokyo. When cooking, take care not to heat the broth too much — otherwise it becomes cloudy. 

Tonkotsu Ramen (pork bone broth)

Tonkotsu ramen is especially popular in the Kyushu area. It’s made from pork bones and takes up to 24 hours to prepare! The broth is whitish, cloudy, and very creamy. Chicken broth and pork fat are often added for extra flavor. 

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How do I make ramen myself?

How long or short it takes to make ramen noodle soup depends primarily on the type of broth. Some ramen broths can be made quickly. There are others, though, that take a lot longer. Some broths take up to 24 hours to make! But don’t worry, we’ll also give you ramen recipes that can be on the table in under 30 minutes! 

If you want to prepare ramen yourself, you’ll need the following basic ingredients: ramen noodles (fresh or dried), ramen broth (shio, shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, or another broth like vegetable or meat broth), and toppings. We’ll dive into each component in a moment.

One quick note: in restaurants, ramen is considered fast food — you usually only wait 2–5 minutes. Sometimes you’ll even get your soup faster! But when you cook ramen at home, it can take the opposite amount of time. As mentioned above, it can sometimes take a whole day or even 2 days! So: take your time cooking. You’ll definitely be rewarded with amazingly delicious ramen. Have fun!

Ramen: The right noodles

You can use two — actually three — different kinds of noodles for ramen. First, there are dried ramen noodles (which come similar to spaghetti). Then there are fresh ramen noodles. These days, you can even find them in Asian markets in Germany. Finally, there’s instant ramen. I don’t really recommend that option, but if you want to give it a shot, check out this post: Ramen for 2 Euros.

Note: ramen noodles don’t need to be cooked for very long. They’re very thin and become soft quickly. Check the instructions on the package: usually it says how long your type of noodles needs to cook. 

The ramen broth

This is the part of ramen soup that takes the most time and love! I can’t say it enough: the taste of ramen depends mostly on the broth :) So put extra care in here if you want an authentic result! 

Miso ramen broth: Preparation

Miso ramen might taste a bit intense to folks who’ve never tried miso before. But you should definitely try this specialty at some point! Apart from miso, Japanese cooking doesn’t use many strong spices, so overall, miso ramen is pretty approachable after a short familiarization. Personally, I love miso broth. It has a unique character and is a bit richer than, say, shio broth. Not sure what I mean? In Japan, we’d say shio broth is more “sappari” than miso or tonkotsu :)

Even so, miso broth is super aromatic, and together with noodles and toppings, it’ll cause an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Have fun cooking!

1. Prepare the following ingredients: sesame (ground), sesame oil, garlic (pressed is best), ginger (grated or finely chopped), onions or shallots (finely diced), miso, chili oil or chili powder (if you like it a bit spicy), and finally a meat broth. This can be chicken or pork based. If you don’t eat meat, you can use vegetable broth.
2. Sauté the following in sesame oil: garlic, ginger, onions, and shallots.
3. After about 5 minutes, add sugar, sesame, miso, and optionally chili powder or chili oil.
4. After another 2-3 minutes, add the broth and stir well.
5. Season the broth with salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. The miso broth is ready!

Shio ramen broth: Preparation

The broth for shio ramen is very simple and needs only a few spices. It’s very quick to make. The recipe below takes especially little time, but still tastes incredibly good. Have fun cooking!

1. First, prepare a meat broth. You can use chicken or pork broth. Ideally, it shouldn’t be pre-seasoned. If it is, just use less seasoning later so it doesn’t get too salty.
2. Heat up the meat broth. If it’s instant, prepare it according to the package.
3. Now turn off the heat, and season the warm broth with: some salt (1 tsp), pepper (preferably white), sesame, and a little sesame oil.
4. The shio ramen broth is ready — one of the simplest ramen broths!

Shoyu ramen broth: Preparation

Shoyu ramen broth is basically shio ramen broth with some soy sauce added. But so it doesn’t get boring, here’s a slightly different recipe that takes a bit longer to make, but results in the perfect shoyu ramen broth!

1. Again, start with meat broth. You can use chicken or pork broth.
   1. Put water in a pot with the following: meat, spring onions, ginger, and garlic. Set the heat so the water just barely simmers.
   2. After a few minutes a layer of scum will form. Gently remove this using a spoon, ladle, or sieve.
   3. Let the broth cook for at least 30 minutes, or even a few hours for a deeper flavor.
   4. If you want to let the broth simmer for a few hours, make sure the water level doesn’t get too low — otherwise the ingredients might burn. You can always add more water. For best results, reheat the water before adding it so you don’t interrupt the cooking process.
2. Now prepare the dashi broth.
   1. To make it quicker, you can use instant dashi: just mix dashi powder with some water. 
   2. To make dashi: put water in a pot, add kombu, and heat gently. Tip: Don’t let the water boil!
   3. Wait about 5 minutes, then add some katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and let steep for another 5 minutes.
   4. Strain the dashi through a sieve.
   5. That’s it! By the way: if you’re vegetarian or vegan, feel free to skip the bonito flakes.
3. Now you can cook the tare (sauce).
   1. For this, mix equal parts soy sauce and mirin, half as much sake, a little sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a pot. Cook for a few minutes to let the sake’s alcohol evaporate.
   2. Voilà: the tare for shoyu ramen is finished!
4. For the last step, combine tare and broth! The ratio should roughly be: 1/2 chicken broth, 1/4 dashi, and 1/4 tare. But of course, that’s a matter of taste — feel free to experiment :)

Tonkotsu ramen broth: Preparation 

Tonkotsu ramen is one of my favorite types of ramen. It’s creamy, has a delicious meaty-broth flavor and is packed with umami. There is one little problem, though: making tonkotsu broth is actually quite a lot of work. To make it perfectly, it can take a very long time. Here’s a guide for making this wonderful broth so you can give tonkotsu ramen a try!

1. First, prep pork and pork bones. You can use pork shank (Spitzbein), but other cuts work well too. Of course, you can use other meat — but only pork gives you that unique flavor you really have to try. If you do use other meat, pick something with a lot of bone, like chicken legs instead of breast meat.
2. Boil the meat for 5–15 minutes, removing any scum ("Aku" in Japanese) from the surface as it forms. This scum contains bitter compounds that can spoil your soup’s flavor. 
3. After a while, pour out the water and replace it with fresh water. Also wash the bones to remove any dirt and blood — they don’t add umami, just bitterness. Of course, you can leave the meat on the bones! Add 1–2 stalks of spring onions, onions, and ginger to the pot. Bring everything back to a boil.
4. Now lower the heat a bit but keep the broth gently boiling, so that the flavors from the meat, bones, and veggies can soak into the water.
5. Now comes the exciting part. Depending on how perfect you want the taste, you can let the broth cook up to 24 hours. Yes, you read that right — 24 hours! That’s not a typo! Just check the water level every hour — if it gets too low, the broth can burn. Add more water as needed, and for best results, preheat it before pouring in. I know 24 hours is a lot, but I recommend simmering your tonkotsu broth for at least 12 hours. For those who just can’t wait, 1–2 hours should be the minimum, but don’t do less than that — otherwise, you won’t draw enough umami from the meat and veggies. Tip: you can prep the other ingredients in the meantime, like chashu and menma.
6. To give the tonkotsu broth its seasoning, you’ll need to prep tare (which means sauce in Japanese).
7. First, make dashi. For a quicker option, you can use ^[1].
   1. To make dashi: put a piece of kombu in a pot of water and gently heat. Remember: don’t let the water boil.
   2. Wait about 5 minutes, add some katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
   3. Strain the dashi.
   4. Done! And by the way, if you’re vegetarian or vegan, just skip the bonito flakes.
8. Put equal parts soy sauce and mirin, half a part sake, and the dashi in a pot. The dashi should make up about half the mixture. Boil the sauce for a few minutes to let the sake’s alcohol evaporate.
9. Voilà: the tare for tonkotsu ramen is finished!

Using German vegetable or meat broth

If you don’t have an Asian supermarket nearby and don’t want to order ingredients online, you can use regular soup broth. I’d recommend a meat broth, as it’s more savory. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can use vegetable broth.

If you love different broths, you can also combine them. I’d recommend experimenting in small amounts first — not all combinations work well. Which mix you use is totally up to your taste.

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Toppings for ramen

It’s the toppings that complete ramen. Every ramen restaurant has its own specialty toppings. Typical are vegetables, meat and fish. But, of course, there are also toppings that don’t exactly fit the Japanese noodle soup. So I’ve listed both traditional Japanese and German topping ideas below. German ingredients are ones you’ll find in pretty much every supermarket in Germany — and they go great with ramen. 

Japanese ingredients

Everything goes! I’ve tried lots of versions in Japan. The most unique were Mapo Tofu ramen (spicy tofu with ground meat), Okinawa ramen (tastes unusual and, honestly, not really my thing), super spicy ramen (some RamenYa specialize in extremely spicy ramen just like with German currywurst! Ramen has spice levels, too), and super thick ramen noodles that were almost udon-style (since I'm not a big udon fan, those weren't really my favorite either).

• Narutomaki (yep, that’s where the anime name comes from)
• Negi (spring onions)
• Tamago (egg — usually simmered in soy sauce)
• Menma (bamboo shoots)
• Moyashi (bean sprouts)

• Wakame (seaweed)
• Nori (dried seaweed)
• Kamaboko (fish cake)
• Chashu (braised pork)
• Shiitake (mushrooms)
• and many other ingredients 

German ingredients that go perfectly with ramen

• Snow peas
• Carrots (very thinly sliced)
• Potatoes (small cubes)
• Onions/shallots (very thin rings, not diced)
• Leek (thin slices)
• Green onions/spring onions (chopped small, not boiled; use as a garnish right before eating)
• Mushrooms (champignons, porcini, ... — slice thin so they soak up more broth)

• Corn (best grilled or sautéed, but cooked works too)
• Cabbage (white cabbage, pak choi, ... — cut into bite-sized pieces)
• Egg (raw or cooked)
• Meat (pan-fried or boiled, thinly sliced)
• Bell pepper (diced)
• Peas (cooked)

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Ordering ramen in Japan

In Tokyo, I’ve eaten ramen several times. The interesting thing about ramen shops is that you place your order at a machine. How these machines work, you can see in this YouTube video:

By the way, you don’t pay at the end, but at the beginning. You enter the shop, go to the order machine, choose your dish, pay, and get a receipt to give to the chef. Your ramen will be ready within 2–3 minutes. And of course — as in all Japanese restaurants — you get free water with your meal :)

Tips for eating ramen

There are a few things to keep in mind when cooking ramen and eating it without embarrassing yourself. I’ve listed these table manners here:

Eat quickly!

Ramen noodles soak up broth quickly and get mushy and fat. Then they aren’t the right texture or flavor any more. So eat as quickly as you can!

Don’t forget to slurp

You might notice a ton of slurping in ramen restaurants. The Japanese aren’t trying to annoy you — slurping allows you to eat ramen while it’s hot! When you slurp, you also suck in some air, and that cools the soup down. Miso shiru is also slurped! So, to avoid burning yourself while eating quickly, you should slurp your ramen too! 

Get up right away

Why should you get up and leave immediately after eating? Ramen is fast food and is meant to be eaten that way. That applies in Germany, where ramen restaurants are very popular, and it’s also considered rude in Japan to linger when other customers are waiting. Ramen shops are more for a quick hunger fix, not for relaxing meals with friends or family. With all the slurping and fast eating, it’s hard to talk anyway!