What is Shoyu Ramen: Japan's most versatile ramen dish?

If you are an anime lover then you’ve probably seen your favorite characters slurping a bowl of ramen in an episode or two. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish that's widely famous not only in Japan but throughout the world. Though there are thousands of variations, the dish consists of a broth base, long noodles made from wheat, and a variety of toppings. It is traditionally eaten with chopsticks along with a Chinese-style soup spoon for the broth.

Just like how there are different ways to prepare rice, there are also several types of ramen. Shoyu Ramen (醤油ラメーン) is one of the most popular types of ramen in Japan. Shoyu basically means “soy sauce” so what makes a bowl ramen “Shoyu ramen” is the flavoring of the broth. It has high umami flavors along with a strong taste. This Ramen is one of four types of tare (seasoning) used to flavor ramen broth in Japan. 

The other three are Shio ramen (salt ramen), miso ramen (miso paste ramen), and tonkotsu ramen, made with pork bone broth.

What is Shoyu Ramen?

As the name gives off its key seasoning (soy sauce), Shoyu ramen is the type of ramen where the broth is seasoned with soy sauce. Traditionally it's used as the main seasoning for boiled chicken, seafood, and occasionally pork or beef-based broths. The addition of dried sardines, kelp, and dashi is also added to give the broth a little more depth.

Shoyu ramen is the most common type you will find in restaurants in big cities like Tokyo. The usual toppings for Shoyu-based ramen are menma (sliced bamboo shoots), chashu (braised pork slices), green onion, and nori (dried seaweed). However, toppings can be based purely on individual preference. 

If you’re a little confused, it’s probably because you usually hear of udon, somen, yakisoba, and shirataki when people mention types of ramen noodles. Those are all types of noodles which can be long, thick, or thin. There are several variations of ramen noodles in Japan, even crazy ones. In our article, we cover the weirdest types of ramen flavor you can find. Now, we are focusing on categorizing ramen by broth flavor.

How is Shoyu Ramen Different from Other Types of Ramen?

Ramen is classified by broth flavor in four ways: Shoyu (soy sauce), Shio (salt), tonkokstu, and miso.

Shio Ramen

Shio means salt in Japanese. It is a very light ramen made with a chicken, pork, or seafood broth base. frequently made from a chicken broth base but pork or seafood can also be added. The broth is usually clear in appearance and you guessed it, it is quite salty. 

You can make Shio ramen by adding a sauce called Shio tare to the chicken soup. This is a salt seasoning of lemon, salt, and kelp which brings out the flavor of the food resulting in a simple but sophisticated ramen soup. When you add the icing on top, which is toppings like chicken, eggs, and nori then it’ll be a perfectly healthy bowl of ramen. 

Miso Ramen

You may have heard of miso soup if you are a fan of Asian cuisine. Miso ramen is basically ramen with miso broth, which is flavored with fermented soybean paste sauce. Before you say eww, there are different varieties of miso paste which is used for ramen. There is the barley miso, red miso, white miso, corn miso, and soybeans miso. This type of ramen originated from Hokkaido in Japan where it is very cold. A hot bowl of miso is perfect for cold days and depending on how you made it, the broth can be thick or runny, clear or colored. It has so many varieties and the best thing about miso is that you can easily find it in your local supermarket or Asian food store, or even make it yourself.

Shoyu Ramen

This is the single most commonly found type of ramen and was invented in 1910 at a ramen shop named Rairaiken in Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood. Although soy sauce might sound like an everyday ingredient that you can just mix with any chicken broth. Chefs who serve Shoyu ramen in popular restaurants make their own soy sauce, using a unique blend of ingredients like dried seafood, dried mushrooms, and herbs. 

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen was created in Fukuoka in Japan. It is creamy and thick as it is made from simmered pork bones. This ramen is made when pork bones are boiled for hours and they simply melt off releasing collagen which is a thick paste. To make it even creamier, people also add the fat of chicken and pork to the meal. If you are looking for ramen with a thick broth, then this is definitely for you.

Did you know there are different types of chopsticks in Japan? Yep, it’s not just one general type. Read our article about Japanese chopsticks. 

How to make Shoyu Ramen?

What are the ingredients for an easy Shoyu Ramen at home? You’ll want to closely follow the ingredients for the broth, but as far as toppings go, you get to take the wheel. I’ll list suggestions below.

Here’s what you’ll need for the broth:

• Sesame oil
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Spicy chili bean paste (optional)
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• Dashi stock
• Low-sodium soy sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sea salt
• Sugar

Ramen toppings:

• Soft-boiled egg
• Carrots
• Scallions
• White pepper
• The protein of your choice
• Sesame seeds

Cooking Shoyu Ramen:

• Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger. Stir it around and simmer for about 30 seconds.
• Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms to the saucepan and sauté them until they’ve softened.
• Drop the chili paste into the pot and stir it around to coat the mushrooms.
• Stir in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Pour both the chicken and dashi stock into the pot and give everything a good stir.
• Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, you can cook your ramen noodles and prepare your toppings.
• Once the soup has had a chance to simmer, give it a taste test and adjust the heat and soy sauce to your liking.
• When the noodles are ready, strain them and transfer them to a large bowl. Transfer some broth to the bowl over the noodles and garnish the bowl with your toppings of choice.

Remember, you can add your own personal touch to Shoyu ramen as long as you keep the key ingredient which is Shoyu.

Right now, you’re probably hungry for some ramen. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Click here to order a ZenPop ramen box from anywhere in the world.

This article was originally written by our freelance writer Umm-Kulthum Abdulkareem and edited by us.