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homemade ramen bowl with soy egg shredded pork and curly scallions
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Homemade Ramen from Scratch

Homemade ramen from scratch using budget grocery store ingredients. Features a pork and chicken chintan broth with staggered peak extraction timing, shoyu tare, baking soda alkaline noodles, scallion aroma oil, soy-marinated soft-boiled eggs, and roasted shredded pork shoulder. A multi-day recipe that produces restaurant-quality ramen at a fraction of the cost.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword alkaline noodles, budget ramen, chintan broth, homemade ramen, ramen broth, ramen from scratch, ramen recipe, shoyu tare, soy marinated egg
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 13 hours
Curing and Marinating 12 hours
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 13 servings
Calories 600kcal
Author Jason Farmer

Equipment

Ingredients

The Broth

  • 4 lbs pork bones Pork neck bones work well; blanch for 10 minutes before using
  • 4 lbs chicken wings
  • 1 lb chicken feet Clip toenails, cut X into palm; main collagen source for mouthfeel
  • 4 slices bacon Substitute for katsuobushi; adds smokey, salty umami
  • 6 liters filtered spring water About $1/jug; makes a noticeable difference vs tap water

Broth Aromatics

  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 oz mushrooms Any variety; adds natural umami
  • 1 bunch scallions White and green parts, trimmed
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger

Shoyu Tare

Alkaline Noodles

  • 1 lb thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta DeCecco brand recommended; cook 2 minutes longer than package directions
  • 1 tbsp baking soda Makes the water alkaline for chewy, ramen-like noodles
  • salt

Scallion Aroma Oil

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 bunches scallions White parts for the oil; save green parts for curly scallion topping

Soy-Marinated Egg Marinade

The Eggs

  • 8 large eggs Make 2-3 extra; marinate 6-24 hours, not longer

Roasted Pork Shoulder

Bowl Assembly (per serving)

  • 2 tbsp shoyu tare
  • 1 tbsp scallion aroma oil
  • 1 1/4 cups chintan broth
  • 5 1/2 oz alkaline noodles
  • shredded pork
  • 1 soy-marinated egg halved
  • curly scallions
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Blanch the Bones

  • Bring a large pot of tap water to a boil. Add the pork bones, set a timer for 10 minutes, and skim the scum as it rises. After 10 minutes, drain and rinse the bones under cold running water. Set aside.
  • Bring the pot of water back to a boil. Add the chicken wings and feet, set a timer for 5 minutes, and skim the scum. After 5 minutes, drain and rinse under cold running water.
  • Tear each chicken wing at the joint into 2-3 pieces. Clip the toenails off each chicken foot and cut an X into the palm. Set aside.

Make the Broth

  • Place the blanched pork bones in a large pot and add 6 liters of filtered spring water. Bring to 190°F and maintain that temperature for 2 hours. Skim any scum that rises to the surface.
  • After 2 hours, add the chicken wings and feet to the pot. Bring back to 190°F and set a timer for 3 hours. Monitor the temperature and skim any scum during this time.
  • After 3 hours (5 hours total), add the roughly chopped onion, carrot, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and bacon. Set a timer for 1 hour.
  • After 1 hour (6 hours total), strain the broth through a chinois or cheesecloth-lined strainer. Cool the broth as quickly as possible by placing the pot in a large bowl of ice and stirring. Refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, scrape the solidified fat off the top of the broth. The broth should be set like jello from the extracted gelatin. Use immediately or freeze for future use.

Make the Shoyu Tare

  • Combine soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, sugar, MSG, and kosher salt in a small pot.
  • Bring to a boil and immediately kill the heat. Whisk to dissolve the sugar, MSG, and salt.
  • Taste and adjust salt to preference. The tare should be very salty but still taste good. Set aside to cool. Store in the fridge indefinitely.

Make the Alkaline Noodles

  • Bring several quarts of water to a boil. Add salt for seasoning and approximately 1 tablespoon of baking soda per quart of water.
  • Add the pasta and cook for approximately 2 minutes longer than the package directions. The water will foam up from the baking soda. Lower the heat and stir to control the foam.
  • Drain and use immediately.

Make the Scallion Aroma Oil

  • Add 1 cup of vegetable oil and the white sections from 2 bunches of scallions to a small pot.
  • Cook over medium heat until the scallions turn golden brown, about 10-20 minutes.
  • Strain the oil into a storage container. Discard the scallions. Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Make the Soy-Marinated Eggs

  • Combine soy sauce, sake, water, and sugar in a small pot. Bring to a boil, boil for 30 seconds, then kill the heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and allow the marinade to cool completely.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Using a bent paperclip and the back of a spoon, tap a small hole into the bottom of each egg.
  • Lower the eggs into the boiling water and set a timer for exactly 7 minutes. Stir the eggs gently in a circular motion for the first 1-2 minutes to center the yolks.
  • After 7 minutes, transfer the eggs to the ice bath. When cool enough to handle, peel under water.
  • Place the peeled eggs in the cooled marinade, cover with plastic wrap to keep them submerged, and refrigerate for 6-24 hours. Remove from marinade and store in a covered container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Make the Roasted Pork Shoulder

  • Mix kosher salt and sugar together. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder.
  • Place in a covered container and refrigerate for 6-18 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 250°F. Discard any accumulated liquid from the container.
  • Place the pork shoulder uncovered on a baking sheet. Roast for 6 hours, basting with rendered fat every 2 hours.
  • Let the pork cool slightly, then shred with two forks. Use immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Mix in some rendered fat before storing to keep the pork moist.

Make the Curly Scallions

  • Slice the reserved green parts of the scallions in half lengthwise, then slice as thin as possible.
  • Place the sliced scallions in a bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes until they curl.
  • Remove, dry on a paper towel, and store in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Assemble the Bowl

  • Warm a serving bowl in the oven on the lowest setting. Boil your noodles and heat the broth.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of shoyu tare and 1 tablespoon of scallion aroma oil to the warm bowl. Pour in 1 1/4 cups of hot chintan broth.
  • Add approximately 5 1/2 ounces of alkaline noodles. Top with shredded pork, one halved soy-marinated egg, and a small bunch of curly scallions. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

This is a multi-day recipe. The broth takes 6 hours of simmering plus an overnight chill. The pork needs 6-18 hours of curing plus 6 hours of roasting. The eggs need 6-24 hours in the marinade. Plan for 2-3 days of prep before your first bowl. Once all components are ready, assembly takes about 10 minutes.
Tare scaling: The tare recipe above makes enough for about 4 servings (at 2 tbsp per bowl). The broth makes about 13 servings. Make multiple batches of tare to match your broth yield. The tare stores indefinitely in the fridge, so you can always make more.
Water quality matters. Use filtered spring water for the broth. A broth is 99.9% water, and dissolved minerals in tap water mute the flavors. Spring water costs about $1 per jug at any grocery store.
Peak extraction timing. Pork, chicken, and vegetables all reach maximum flavor at different rates. The staggered cooking schedule in this recipe (pork first, chicken 2 hours later, aromatics in the last hour) ensures every ingredient finishes at peak flavor without overcooking.
Never boil the broth. Keep it around 190°F (a random bubble here and there). A rolling boil will cloud the clear chintan broth by emulsifying the fats into the liquid.
Noodle tip: The baking soda makes the water foam aggressively. Lower the heat and stir it back down. Cook the pasta about 2 minutes longer than the package says for the best chewy texture.
MSG is optional. If you prefer not to use it, increase the kosher salt by about 1/2 teaspoon. Accent brand seasoning salt is MSG.
Broth concentrate storage: If freezer space is limited, boil the strained broth until it reduces by half. Freeze the concentrate. Reconstitute with equal parts concentrate and water anytime you want ramen.
Kosher salt note: This recipe uses Morton's Kosher Salt. If using table salt, reduce to about half the amount. If using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, increase by about a third.

Nutrition

Calories: 600kcal