Print

Basic Ramen Broth Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.7 from 61 reviews

This Basic Ramen Broth recipe creates a rich, deeply flavored base for traditional Japanese ramen using a combination of chicken, kelp, bonito flakes, shiitake mushrooms, and a carefully crafted tare sauce. The broth is simmered for hours to develop umami complexity, perfect for authentic ramen bowls with shio, shoyu, or miso tare options.

Ingredients

Scale

Dashi Stock

  • 0.35oz/10g Kelp
  • 0.35oz/10g Bonito flakes (or 1 cup)
  • 0.7oz/20g Shiitake mushrooms (or 5 dried shiitake mushrooms)
  • 6 cups/1.5L Water

Chicken Broth

  • 2 Chicken carcasses (or 1 large carcass)
  • 4 Chicken wings
  • 1/2 Onion, cut into quarters
  • 2 Cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1oz/30g Ginger, thinly sliced
  • 2 Scallions, chopped into one-third lengths
  • 1/2 cup Sake
  • 12 cups/3L Water

Ramen Broth Enhancements

  • 1/4 cup Dashi stock (prepared from above)
  • 2 tbsp Sake
  • 1 tbsp Mirin
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 2.5 tbsp Chashu leftover sauce
  • 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Ginger, finely chopped
  • White part of 1 scallion

Miso Tare

  • 2 tbsp Smooth peanut butter (all natural, no sugar added)
  • 1 tbsp Sake
  • 2 tbsp Mirin
  • 1 tsp Rayu chili oil
  • 1/2 cup Miso paste

Instructions

  1. Prepare Overnight Dashi Stock: Place kelp, bonito flakes, shiitake mushrooms, and 6 cups (1.5L) of water into a large jar. Cover with a lid and soak overnight to extract deep umami flavors.
  2. Clean Chicken: Rinse chicken carcasses and wings under running water, removing all organs and washing off blood thoroughly.
  3. Poach Chicken: Bring a separate large pot of water to boil. Poach the chicken carcasses and wings for about 30 seconds or until the chicken color turns white. Strain and discard the poaching water to remove impurities.
  4. Make Chicken Broth: Place cleaned chicken carcasses, wings, quartered onion, smashed garlic, sliced ginger, chopped scallions, and 1/2 cup sake into a large pot with 12 cups (3L) water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  5. Simmer Chicken Broth: Once boiling, reduce heat to low and remove the scum that forms on top of the soup. Simmer gently over low heat for about 3 hours for a rich broth.
  6. Add Dashi and Continue Simmering: Occasionally skim the broth’s surface and add the overnight dashi stock as needed. After 3 hours, add remaining dashi stock with kelp, bonito flakes, and shiitake mushrooms. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper towels into a clean pot or bowl. Discard solids.
  7. Further Reduction: Simmer the strained broth gently for another 2 hours to deepen flavors and reduce volume to about 10 cups (2.5L). Strain again if needed.
  8. Store or Use Broth: The finished ramen broth can be used immediately or stored chilled or frozen for later use.
  9. Prepare Shio Tare: Combine finely chopped onion, garlic, ginger, white scallion, chashu sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Stir well to dissolve salt. Place 2.5 tbsp of shio tare in a ramen bowl, pour 2 cups (500ml) of ramen broth, and stir to combine.
  10. Prepare Shoyu Tare: Place 3 tbsp shoyu tare in a ramen bowl and add 2 cups (500ml) of ramen broth; stir to combine (shoyu tare ingredients not listed in original recipe, assumed prepared separately).
  11. Prepare Miso Tare: Place peanut butter, sake, mirin, and rayu chili oil in a small container. Blend with a stick blender or food processor until creamy. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from heat and stir in miso paste until well combined.
  12. Serve with Miso Tare: Place 2 tbsp of miso tare in a ramen bowl, add 2 cups (500ml) of ramen broth and stir well to dissolve the tare completely.

Notes

  • Use all natural, no sugar added peanut butter for the miso tare to maintain authentic flavor balance.
  • Skimming the scum during simmering ensures a clear, clean broth.
  • Overnight soaking of kelp, bonito, and mushrooms is essential to extract umami depth in dashi stock.
  • Simmering times are long to develop complex layered flavors typical of traditional ramen broth.
  • Straining through kitchen paper towels helps remove fine particles for a smooth broth texture.
  • Chashu leftover sauce adds savory richness to the ramen broth.
  • Broth can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
  • Sake and mirin balances sweetness and acidity in tare sauces.

Keywords: ramen broth, Japanese, dashi stock, chicken broth, miso tare, shio tare, shoyu tare, ramen soup base, homemade broth

Find it online: https://lucabites.com/basic-ramen-broth-recipe/