East Asia

Tokyo-Style Shoyu Ramen: Clear Broth, Soy Tare and Chashu at Home

Name: Tokyo-Style Shoyu Ramen: Clear Broth, Soy Tare and Chashu at Home
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Japanese (Tokyo-style)
Ingredients: about 604g Pork leg bones; about 907g Skinless pork belly; 1/2 large Onion; 5 cloves Garlic; 1 knob Ginger; about 99g Chicken fat; 2 Japanese long onion (negi); 12 US qt in total (about 11.4L) Water; 480ml Broth, taken from the pot; 2 cups Soy sauce (dark, koikuchi); 1/4 cup Sake; 1/4 cup Mirin; 1.5 tbsp table salt or fine sea salt Salt; 1 tbsp to start Tare; 360ml Hot broth; For each bowl served Fresh ramen noodles; For each bowl served Menma; For each bowl served Nori; Sliced, for each bowl served Chashu; Green parts of 2 Green onions (scallions)

How to make Tokyo-style shoyu ramen at home from a recipe shared by the owner of Bizentei in Tokyo: a clear pork and aromatic broth simmered for six hours, a soy tare that braises the chashu, and bowls seasoned one at a time. Covers the full eight-bowl batch, heat changes, safe pork handling and cooling, noodles, fixes and how this bowl differs from tonkotsu.

Published: October 31, 2026Level: Advanced (long preparation)

Cooking flow

Cooking steps

STEP 11 / 7

Start the broth and skim the foam

A clear broth of pork bones and aromatics simmering in a stockpot — Keep the pot uncovered for the first phase, skim the foam as it rises, and leave room so it doesn't boil over

Put the pork leg bones, onion (skin on), garlic (skin on) and ginger in the stockpot with 10 qt of the water, and bring it up to a boil. As foam rises to the surface, skim it off with a fine-mesh skimmer, and keep doing so throughout.

When the broth boils, add the tied pork belly. For the first part of the cooking, keep the pot uncovered over relatively high heat. If it threatens to boil over, turn the heat down until it settles. Skimming and heat control are two separate jobs: the heat sets how the broth cooks, and the skimmer keeps it clean. Don't stir the pot. As the level drops and room opens up, add the remaining 2 qt of water in stages.

STEP 22 / 7

Make the tare and braise the chashu

A cooked pork belly block braising in soy tare under a drop lid — The pork belly braises gently in the tare under a drop lid while the broth continues on low heat

Shortly before the broth reaches the 2-hour mark, ladle out 480ml of it. In the smaller pot, combine that broth with the soy sauce, sake, mirin and salt. This is the tare.

At the 2-hour mark, add the chicken fat and the green parts of the long onions to the broth, and continue cooking for another hour.

At the 3-hour mark, lift the pork belly out of the broth and move it into the tare. Cover it with a drop lid and braise over low heat for 2 hours. At the same time, turn the broth pot down to low.

STEP 33 / 7

Finish the broth on low heat and strain it

Straining bones and aromatics out of a clear broth through a fine-mesh strainer — Strain out the bones and aromatics so only the clear broth goes into the clean pot

Let the broth simmer on low heat for 3 more hours after the pork belly comes out, for 6 hours in total. Then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, removing the bones and aromatics.

Make sure the chashu is cooked through to the center. Before slicing it, chill it so it firms up and holds its shape. Use clean utensils and boards for the cooked meat.

If you are making the broth the day before, divide it into shallow containers, cool it quickly and refrigerate it. Do the same with the chashu and tare. Don't leave them standing at room temperature.

STEP 44 / 7

Combine tare and hot broth in the bowl

Hot clear broth poured into a small amount of soy tare in a bowl — Start with a little tare and adjust each bowl with hot broth

Heat the broth until it is hot. Put 1 tbsp of tare in each bowl, then pour in 360ml of hot broth. Taste, and add more tare little by little if you want it saltier; the source uses 1–2 tbsp per bowl. Don't add the full amount at once, because the tare is very salty.

STEP 55 / 7

Boil the noodles in a separate pot

Fresh medium-thin curly noodles boiling in a separate pot of water — Boil the noodles in their own pot of water, following the time on the package

Boil the fresh noodles in a separate pot of boiling water, not in the broth. Follow the time on the package; the source's example is usually 60–90 seconds. Loosen the strands with chopsticks as they cook. Cook the noodles last, when the bowls are ready.

STEP 66 / 7

Drain the noodles and put them straight into the bowl

Cooked curly noodles draining in a strainer — Drain the noodles thoroughly and move them straight into the bowl

Drain the noodles well, then put them into the seasoned broth right away. Noodles left waiting soften and lose their texture.

STEP 77 / 7

Top and serve

Placing chashu, menma, green onion and nori on a bowl of noodles and broth — Finish with chashu, menma, green onion and nori, and serve while hot

Lay sliced chashu over the noodles, and add menma, the sliced white parts of the long onions, the sliced green onion and a sheet of nori. Serve at once.

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Ingredients

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Broth and chashu

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Pork leg bones	about 604g	The base of the broth
Skinless pork belly	about 907g	Tie with kitchen twine so it holds its shape. Cooked in the broth, then braised in the tare
Onion	1/2 large	Leave the skin on
Garlic	5 cloves	Leave the skin on
Ginger	1 knob	As given in the source; no gram weight is specified
Chicken fat	about 99g	Added to the broth at the 2-hour mark
Japanese long onion (negi)	2	Green parts go into the broth at the 2-hour mark; white parts are kept for topping
Water	12 US qt in total (about 11.4L)	Start with 10 qt and add the rest in stages as room opens up in the pot

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Tare (chashu braising liquid)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Broth, taken from the pot	480ml	Ladled out shortly before the 2-hour mark
Soy sauce (dark, koikuchi)	2 cups	The color and saltiness of the tare
Sake	1/4 cup
Mirin	1/4 cup
Salt	1.5 tbsp table salt or fine sea salt	The source specifies 3 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and half that amount for table or fine sea salt

3 / 3

For each bowl you serve

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Tare	1 tbsp to start	The source uses 1–2 tbsp per bowl; adjust by taste
Hot broth	360ml	The starting point for one bowl
Fresh ramen noodles	For each bowl served	Medium-thin and curly. Cook according to the package
Menma	For each bowl served
Nori	For each bowl served
Chashu	Sliced, for each bowl served	From the braised pork belly
Green onions (scallions)	Green parts of 2	For topping; separate from the long onions used in the broth

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Tokyo-Style Shoyu Ramen: A Bowl Built from Broth, Tare and Noodles

What this recipe should keep

Keep the broth clear, keep the salty tare separate until the bowl, and boil the noodles last. The flavor of each bowl comes together at the moment you combine them.

A spoonful of dark soy tare sits at the bottom of an empty bowl. Hot, clear amber broth is poured over it, and the two blend to one even color. Freshly drained curly noodles go in next, then slices of chashu, menma, green onion and a sheet of nori. That is the shape of a Tokyo-style shoyu ramen: not one pot that holds every flavor, but a broth, a tare and noodles brought together bowl by bowl.

This recipe follows one example of that style, a shoyu ramen recipe shared by the owner of Bizentei, a ramen shop in Tokyo, and published by Just One Cookbook. It is not a recipe for "Japanese ramen" as a whole, and it does not claim to represent every shoyu ramen in Japan. It is a home version of one clear Tokyo-style bowl.

The work is long but not complicated. The broth simmers for six hours, and the pork belly that cooks in it becomes chashu in a separate pot of soy tare. Making the broth and chashu the day before is recommended, so that on the day you eat, the only work left is heating broth, boiling noodles and seasoning each bowl.

If you are looking for the milky, opaque pork-bone style of Kyushu, that is a different bowl with the opposite goal for the broth. See tonkotsu ramen for that style.

What Makes This Bowl Tokyo-Style Shoyu

In the example this recipe follows, a Tokyo-style shoyu ramen is made of a clear broth, a soy-based tare, medium-thin curly noodles, chashu, menma, green onion and nori. The broth here is built from pork leg bones, onion, garlic and ginger, with pork belly cooked in it, and later chicken fat and the green parts of Japanese long onion.

The tare is where "shoyu" comes from. Soy sauce, sake, mirin and salt are combined with some of the broth, the pork belly braises in it, and that liquid then seasons each bowl. Because the tare is a concentrated, salty base, it is not something to drink as soup on its own; you add it to the bowl a little at a time and adjust with hot broth.

Ingredients for an 8-Bowl Batch

Pork bones, a pork belly block, onion, garlic, ginger, Japanese long onion, soy sauce, sake, mirin, fresh ramen noodles, menma and nori laid out separately — The broth, chashu and tare are prepared as a full batch; noodles and toppings are only for the bowls you serve

The source recipe recommends making the broth, chashu and tare as a full batch even if you are cooking for fewer people, because halving it does not give the same concentration. The batch makes 8 bowls' worth of broth and tare. Noodles and toppings are prepared only for the number of bowls you are serving that day.

Equipment

A large stockpot with enough room that the water, bones and pork belly do not boil over when it comes to a boil
A second, smaller pot for braising the chashu in the tare
A drop lid (otoshibuta), or a lid that rests directly on the braising liquid
A fine-mesh skimmer for foam
A sturdy fine-mesh strainer for straining out bones and aromatics
Kitchen twine for tying the pork belly
A separate pot of boiling water for the noodles, and a strainer for draining them
Separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meat and for cooked food
Shallow containers for cooling broth and chashu quickly
A probe thermometer, if you have one, for checking the center of the pork

Choosing and Substituting

Salt. Salt crystals differ in size, so the same tablespoon holds different amounts of salt. The source writes its tare for Diamond Crystal kosher salt (3 tbsp) and gives half that amount for table salt or fine sea salt. This recipe uses the fine-salt option, 1.5 tbsp. Keep to the measure that matches your salt rather than converting it to grams, and season each bowl gradually.

Soy sauce. Use dark (koikuchi) soy sauce. Light (usukuchi) soy sauce differs in color and saltiness, so it is not recommended as a same-amount substitute.

Sake. Some cooking sake contains added salt. Check the label, and take that into account when you season the bowls.

Bones and chicken fat. If pork bones or chicken fat are hard to find, you can build a broth around a chicken carcass instead, but it will not taste the same as the source recipe.

Noodles. Store-bought fresh medium-thin curly ramen noodles work well. Follow the cooking time on the package.

Allergens

This recipe contains wheat (noodles, and possibly soy sauce), soy (soy sauce) and pork. Check the labels of the noodles, soy sauce and store-bought menma.

Before You Start: Two Pots, Six Hours

Simmering time versus working time

The broth simmers for 6 hours, but you are not working the whole time. From the 3-hour mark, the broth pot and the chashu pot run side by side: the chashu braises for 2 hours while the broth simmers for its last 3. Don't add these together as one long sequence.

The schedule follows the broth pot:

From the boil: add the pork belly; higher heat, uncovered, skimming foam.
Shortly before 2 hours: ladle out 480ml of broth for the tare.
At 2 hours: add the chicken fat and the green parts of the long onions.
At 3 hours: move the pork belly to the tare to braise for 2 hours. Turn the broth to low for 3 more hours.
At 6 hours: strain the broth.

Use a pot large enough for the source's water amount. If your pot is too small, topping it up endlessly with water over six hours will not give the same finished broth. Don't leave the stove unattended during the long simmer.

Handling raw pork and bones

Don't wash raw meat; rinsing spreads bacteria around the sink and kitchen. Keep the cutting board, knife and tongs you use for raw pork separate from those used for cooked chashu and for serving. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare gives heating the center of meat to 75°C for at least 1 minute as a general guideline against many pathogens. Don't assume the pork is safe simply because it has simmered for a long time; if you have a thermometer, check the temperature at the center. Don't leave cooked broth or chashu at room temperature; divide it into shallow containers and refrigerate it quickly.

Fixing Common Problems

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
The broth is cloudy	A hard rolling boil or stirring	For the clear Tokyo style, bring it back to a gentler simmer and stop stirring. Milky tonkotsu aims for the opposite result
The bowl is too salty	Too much tare went in at once	Add tare a little at a time in each bowl. If the broth has reduced, add hot water to the broth before judging the seasoning
The noodles are soft and swollen	Cooked too early or left waiting	Boil the noodles last, drain them and serve at once. Don't hold cooked noodles in the broth
The broth is close to boiling over	Pot too full during the higher-heat phase	Turn the heat down until it settles, and add the remaining water only when there is room

Variations

These small changes keep the Tokyo-style shape of the bowl:

Lighter finish: leave out the chicken fat.
Thinner noodles: use a thinner fresh noodle, cooked to the time on its package.
Simpler toppings: center the bowl on green onion and nori.

These turn it into a different dish:

Miso: replacing the shoyu tare with miso makes a different bowl; it needs its own recipe rather than a swap.
Milky pork-bone broth: for the opaque, creamy style, see tonkotsu ramen.

One Bowl Among Many Regional Styles

A clear shoyu ramen next to a milky white tonkotsu ramen — A clear shoyu broth and an opaque tonkotsu broth: two different regional types

Ramen in Japan is not a single nationwide recipe. The Japan National Tourism Organization describes different types, such as shoyu, miso and tonkotsu, along with regional differences in noodles and toppings. Tonkotsu ramen, for example, is a Kyushu style said to have originated in Kurume, and it is distinguished from ordinary shoyu ramen.

Tokyo's official tourism guide describes ramen as a noodle dish of Chinese origin that changed into different forms across Japan, and notes that ramen from many regions can be found side by side in Tokyo. The bowl in this recipe is one Tokyo-style shoyu example within that wider range.

Shoyu, miso and tonkotsu are not three points on a single scale. Shoyu and miso describe the tare, while tonkotsu describes the broth, so the categories can overlap in one bowl. Thinking of a bowl as broth, tare, fat and noodles put together makes it easier to see what each style changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between shoyu ramen and tonkotsu ramen?

They are named along different axes. Shoyu refers to the soy-based tare, while tonkotsu is also used to describe the type of broth, and the two can be combined. The bowl here aims for a clear broth; tonkotsu aims for a milky one.

Can I make the broth the day before?

Yes, and it is recommended. Strain it, divide it into shallow containers, cool it quickly and refrigerate it. Keep to the same hygiene for the chashu and tare, and boil the noodles just before eating.

Can I use store-bought noodles?

Yes. Fresh medium-thin curly ramen noodles work well. Follow the cooking time on the package.

Can I use light (usukuchi) soy sauce instead?

It is not recommended as a same-amount substitute. Its color and saltiness differ from dark (koikuchi) soy sauce.

Can I shorten the six-hour simmer?

A shorter simmer will not give the same result as the shop owner's recipe this article follows. A short-cooking version would need to be designed as a separate recipe.

Sources

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), "Ramen 101 | Eat Ramen in Japan." Used for the different types of ramen such as shoyu, miso and tonkotsu, regional noodles and toppings, and tonkotsu as a Kyushu style said to originate in Kurume, distinct from ordinary shoyu ramen. https://www.japan.travel/en/sg/story/ramen/
Just One Cookbook, "Shoyu Ramen - Recipe from Bizentei, Tokyo" (recipe shared by Masamoto Ueda of Bizentei). Used for the composition of a Tokyo-style shoyu bowl, the ingredients and amounts, the 6-hour broth, the chashu braised in tare, the salt-type options, noodle cooking and per-bowl seasoning. https://www.justonecookbook.com/shoyu-ramen/
GO TOKYO / Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, "Oodles of Noodles—A Guide to Eating Ramen in Tokyo." Used for ramen as a noodle dish of Chinese origin that changed across regions of Japan, and for the many regional styles found in Tokyo. https://www.gotokyo.org/en/story/guide/oodles-of-noodles-a-guide-to-ramen-in-tokyo/index.html
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, "安全に食事を楽しむ！肉、魚、野菜の調理法" (Cooking meat, fish and vegetables safely). Used for cooking meat through to the center, not washing meat, keeping raw-meat utensils separate, and cooling cooked food quickly in shallow containers. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2506/spe1_02.html
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, "お肉はよく焼いて食べよう" (Cook meat thoroughly). Used for the guideline of heating the center of meat to 75°C for at least 1 minute. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000049964.html