Shoyu Ramen Tokyo Clear Soy Broth

Ingredients

• For the chicken broth
• 1.5 kg chicken bones, blanched in boiling water, rinsed
• 3 litres cold water
• For the shoyu tare
• 150 ml soy sauce
• 50 ml mirin
• 50 ml sake
• 30 ml chicken cooking juices, reserved from broth skimming
• 4 anchovies, dried
• For the kōmi-abura (aromatic oil)
• 100 g chicken back fat, chopped
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 20 g fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• For the noodles
• 400 g curly kansui egg noodles (chijire men), sourced from a ramen noodle supplier; cannot be replicated with plain wheat flour
• For the toppings
• 200 g cha-shu pork, braised, sliced thin
• 4 slices narutomaki fishcake, pink-and-white spiral, one slice per bowl
• 120 g menma (bamboo shoots), canned, rinsed; seasoned overnight in soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil
• 4 sheets nori, cut to fit bowl rim

Method

1. 1
   At least one week before service, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, chicken juices, and dried anchovies in a sealed jar. Refrigerate without disturbing. The tare is ready when the flavours have merged into a single, rounded depth — raw soy sharpness will have receded.
2. 2
   Season the menma the night before service. Rinse the canned bamboo shoots thoroughly under cold water, then submerge in soy sauce, mirin, and a few drops of sesame oil. Refrigerate overnight. The shoots are ready when they have absorbed colour and carry an even, savoury-sweet seasoning throughout.
3. 3
   Blanch the chicken bones in boiling water for 3 minutes to purge blood and protein. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and transfer to a large stockpot. Cover with the 3 litres of cold water. Bring slowly to a bare simmer — never a rolling boil. Skim diligently and continuously for the first 30 minutes, removing all foam and fat. Continue a gentle simmer for 3 to 4 hours. The broth is done when it is clear, amber-tinged, and carries full chicken depth; any cloudiness indicates the heat has been too high.
4. 4
   While the broth simmers, render the chicken back fat in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced scallion, ginger, and garlic. Cook slowly until the aromatics are soft and fragrant and the fat is limpid and perfumed. Strain through a fine sieve and reserve the kōmi-abura warm. The oil is ready when it smells of sweet, roasted allium rather than raw fat.
5. 5
   Cook the curly kansui noodles according to the supplier's instructions, maintaining vigorous boiling water for even cooking. Drain and divide immediately among four warmed bowls. The noodles are done when they are firm and springy with a characteristic alkaline chew — they must not be soft or straight.
6. 6
   Add the shoyu tare to the base of each bowl — approximately 30 to 40 ml per portion — before ladling over the hot clear broth. The broth volume per bowl should be sufficient to submerge the noodles. Taste: the seasoned broth should be layered and savoury without any single element — salt, sweet, or umami — dominating.
7. 7
   Arrange the toppings over the noodles: thin slices of cha-shu, one slice of narutomaki, a portion of seasoned menma, and a sheet of nori set against the bowl rim. Drizzle the kōmi-abura across the broth surface. Serve immediately. The aromatic oil should form a visible, fragrant slick on the surface — its scent rises with the bowl's heat.