Ramen Broths and Tare
Cooking Skills: Noodles 2
Chapter 1 · Ramen Broths and Tare
Skill goal
Build a ramen bowl from tare, broth, aroma oil, noodles and toppings, and season it exactly.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A ramen shop doesn't simply season a pot of broth. It puts a concentrated seasoning called tare in the bowl, ladles hot broth over it, and finishes with an aroma oil. This makes the broth simple, the seasoning exact, and each bowl different. You can do the same at home.
The three tares
| Style | Tare based on | Broth | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoyu | Soy sauce, sugar, aromatics | Chicken (or chicken and pork) | Savoury, dark-gold and balanced |
| Shio | Salt, a little sugar and acid | Light chicken broth | Clean, delicate, golden-clear |
| Miso | Miso paste, soy, a little sesame | Chicken or vegetable | Rich, nutty and a little sweet |
The broth
- Start with good stock. A homemade chicken stock is best, but a good stock cube or liquid stock works if you simmer it with ginger, garlic and spring onion tops.
- Poaching chicken in the broth gives both topping and flavour.
- Simmer, never boil hard, to keep the broth clear. Skim any scum from the top.
- Serve it boiling-hot: ramen cools quickly. Warm the bowls.
The aroma oil
A spoonful of oil, warmed with spring onion, garlic or ginger and floated on top, gives the first scent as the bowl arrives. Warm it gently: it should sizzle softly, not fry or brown.
Building the bowl
- Warm the bowls.
- Put the tare in the bottom of each bowl.
- Ladle on the boiling-hot broth and stir.
- Add the noodles (cooked apart and well drained), then the toppings.
- Finish with the aroma oil and fresh toppings, and eat at once.
Raw meat, hot broth and leftovers
Raw chicken and pork: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken or pork, and keep it away from cooked food and toppings. Cook chicken and pork until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Don't wash raw chicken: splashes spread bacteria.Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Shoyu chicken ramen with home-made tare
Shoyu means soy sauce. The tare is a small pan of soy sauce, sugar and aromatics simmered together. A spoonful in the bottom of each bowl seasons the whole dish. No mirin or sake: vinegar and sugar do the job.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (for the tare)
- 1 tbsp sugar (for the tare)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (for the tare)
- 1 garlic clove and 1 slice of ginger (for the tare)
- 3 tbsp water (for the tare)
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
- 200 g ramen or thin egg noodles
- 2 Lion-marked eggs
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced (white and green parts separated)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for the aroma oil
- 1 nori sheet, torn (optional)
- Tare: simmer the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger and water in a small pan for 5 minutes. Strain. It keeps in the fridge for about a week in a clean jar.
- Broth and chicken: bring the stock to a simmer, add the chicken thighs and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through with no pink and clear juices. Lift out, rest for 5 minutes and slice, discarding the bones.
- Eggs: boil for 6 and a half minutes (jammy) or 10 minutes (solid), cool in cold water, peel and halve.
- Aroma oil: warm the oil in a small pan with the white parts of the spring onion for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Don't let them brown.
- Noodles: cook in a separate pan for the time on the pack (adding the spinach for the last 30 seconds). Drain well.
- Build the bowl: put 2 tbsp of tare in the bottom of each bowl, ladle in about 400 ml of boiling-hot broth, stir, add the noodles, spinach, sliced chicken and egg, drizzle with aroma oil and top with the green spring onion and nori.
Raw chicken, hot broth, eggs, salt and allergens
Raw chicken and pork: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken or pork, and keep it away from cooked food and toppings. Cook chicken and pork until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Don't wash raw chicken: splashes spread bacteria.Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.
Salt: the tare is very salty, so measure it and taste before adding more. You can always add more tare, but you can't take it out.
Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Allergens: soy sauce and miso contain soy and (usually) wheat. Ramen noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Sesame, tahini and some miso, dashi and Worcestershire sauce contain sesame, fish or barley. Check labels and tell guests.
Level 2 · Miso
Miso ramen
Miso ramen has a richer, nuttier flavour. The miso goes in the tare, not the pot, so you don't boil it away: stir it into hot broth in the bowl.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 3 tbsp white or red miso paste (for the tare)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (for the tare)
- 1 tsp sugar (for the tare)
- 1 tsp tahini or sesame paste (for the tare)
- 1 tbsp water (for the tare)
- 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
- 200 g ramen or thin egg noodles
- 100 g mushrooms, sliced
- 100 g sweetcorn
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 2 tsp butter (optional, for the Hokkaido style)
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Tare: mix the miso, soy sauce, sugar, tahini and water in a small bowl to a smooth paste.
- Simmer the stock with the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Cook the noodles in a separate pan, adding the spinach for the last 30 seconds. Drain.
- Put half the tare in each bowl and ladle in hot broth, stirring until it dissolves. Don't boil the broth after the miso is in.
- Add the noodles, mushrooms, spinach and sweetcorn. Top with butter, if using, and the spring onions.
Hot broth, salt and allergens
Miso: stir miso in off the boil, because boiling spoils the flavour, and taste before adding more salt. Some miso contains barley (gluten) or fish stock.Salt: the tare is very salty, so measure it and taste before adding more. You can always add more tare, but you can't take it out.
Allergens: soy sauce and miso contain soy and (usually) wheat. Ramen noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Sesame, tahini and some miso, dashi and Worcestershire sauce contain sesame, fish or barley. Check labels and tell guests.
Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Level 2 · Salt
Shio (salt) ramen
Shio ramen has the lightest, cleanest broth: salt, a little sugar and acid, with the chicken flavour doing the talking. A good test of how well you can season.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 1½ tsp fine salt (for the tare)
- 1 tsp sugar (for the tare)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar or lemon juice (for the tare)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (for the tare)
- 3 tbsp hot chicken stock (for the tare)
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 chicken breast
- 200 g thin ramen or wheat noodles
- 1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
- 100 g pak choi, quartered
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 pinch white pepper and lemon zest
- Tare: stir the salt, sugar, vinegar, ginger and hot stock together until the salt dissolves.
- Simmer the stock gently and add the chicken breast. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked through with no pink. Lift out, rest and slice thinly.
- Cook the noodles in a separate pan, adding the carrot and pak choi for the last minute. Drain.
- Put half the tare in each bowl and ladle in the boiling-hot broth. Taste: add a pinch more salt if it is flat. Add the noodles, vegetables and chicken, then the sesame oil, pepper and lemon zest.
Raw chicken, hot broth and salt
Raw chicken and pork: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken or pork, and keep it away from cooked food and toppings. Cook chicken and pork until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Don't wash raw chicken: splashes spread bacteria.Salt: the tare is very salty, so measure it and taste before adding more. You can always add more tare, but you can't take it out.
Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Level 3 · Rich
Sesame and pork tantanmen-style ramen
A rich, nutty, spicy bowl: sesame broth topped with spicy pork mince. It is a tantanmen-style ramen, a Japanese version of Sichuan dan dan noodles. The pork must be cooked right through.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 150 g pork mince
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp chilli bean paste or chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp tahini or sesame paste (for the broth)
- 600 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
- 200 g ramen noodles
- 100 g pak choi
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the pork mince, breaking it up, for 5 to 6 minutes, until browned and cooked through with no pink. Add the garlic, ginger, half the soy sauce, the sugar and the chilli paste and fry for 2 minutes.
- In a pan, whisk the tahini into the stock and the remaining soy sauce. Heat gently until steaming hot (don't boil).
- Cook the noodles with the pak choi for the last minute and drain.
- Divide the noodles between bowls, pour over the creamy broth and top with the pork, spring onions and chilli oil.
Pork mince, hot broth, sesame and allergens
Raw chicken and pork: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken or pork, and keep it away from cooked food and toppings. Cook chicken and pork until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Don't wash raw chicken: splashes spread bacteria.Allergens: soy sauce and miso contain soy and (usually) wheat. Ramen noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Sesame, tahini and some miso, dashi and Worcestershire sauce contain sesame, fish or barley. Check labels and tell guests.
Salt: the tare is very salty, so measure it and taste before adding more. You can always add more tare, but you can't take it out.
Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Experiments
Experiment
Tare amount
1, 2 and 3 spoons.
- Make three bowls of broth with 1, 2 and 3 tbsp of the shoyu tare in 400 ml of hot broth. Taste each.
Look for: One spoon tastes thin and the three-spoon bowl is very salty. The middle is balanced. This shows how the tare, not the broth, sets the seasoning.
Experiment
Simmer time
Quick or long.
- Simmer two small pots of stock with chicken wings, ginger and garlic, one for 20 minutes and one for 90 minutes. Taste both plain.
Look for: The longer broth is richer and a little more gelatinous with deeper chicken flavour. The shorter one is lighter. Decide how much time the dish is worth.
Experiment
Aroma oil
With and without.
- Make two identical bowls, one with a spoon of aroma oil on top and one without.
Look for: The oil adds scent as you lift the bowl and a silky richness. The bowl without tastes flatter and thinner.
Experiment
Tare in the pot or the bowl
Where to season.
- Season one small pot of broth with the tare and keep it warm for 30 minutes. Season a second bowl just before serving.
Look for: The pot seasoned early tastes slightly duller and saltier; the tare in the bowl keeps a fresh, precise flavour. This is why ramen shops season each bowl.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoyu chicken ramen | ||||
| Miso ramen | ||||
| Shio ramen | ||||
| Tantanmen-style ramen | ||||
| Tare amount | ||||
| Simmer time | ||||
| Aroma oil | ||||
| Tare in pot or bowl |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Bland broth | Not enough tare or weak stock | Add tare a spoonful at a time; simmer the stock with aromatics |
| Too salty | Too much tare | Dilute with hot water or stock; use less next time |
| Cloudy broth | Boiled hard | Simmer gently; skim |
| Greasy broth | Fat not skimmed | Chill and lift the fat, or skim with a spoon |
| Miso tastes dull or bitter | Boiled | Stir in off the boil |
| Chicken dry | Boiled too hard or too long | Poach gently; check at 15 minutes |
Meat, broth, salt and allergens
Raw chicken and pork: wash your hands, board and knife after handling raw chicken or pork, and keep it away from cooked food and toppings. Cook chicken and pork until steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices (70°C for 2 minutes). Don't wash raw chicken: splashes spread bacteria.Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. Cook eggs until solid if you are unsure about runny eggs for you or your guests: the Food Standards Agency's advice on runny eggs differs for some groups, so check the current guidance at food.gov.uk.
Salt: the tare is very salty, so measure it and taste before adding more. You can always add more tare, but you can't take it out.
Broth and leftovers: cool broth quickly (pour it into shallow containers and chill within about 1 to 2 hours), keep it covered in the fridge and use within 2 days, or freeze it. Reheat until it is boiling or steaming hot all the way through, and only once. Keep noodles apart: they go swollen and soft in broth.
Allergens: soy sauce and miso contain soy and (usually) wheat. Ramen noodles contain wheat and sometimes egg. Sesame, tahini and some miso, dashi and Worcestershire sauce contain sesame, fish or barley. Check labels and tell guests.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can make a shoyu tare and use it to season a bowl.
- I can poach chicken in broth and slice it.
- I can keep miso off the boil.
- I can build a ramen bowl in the right order.
- I cool and store broth safely.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Noodles 2, chapter 2 is Vietnamese Noodle Soups: charred aromatics, spices and a clear broth.