Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (2024)

"Ramen" is a popular Japanese food that is now attracting attention from all over the world.

It is said that ramen began to spread throughout Japan in the early 1920s, and in the process, various styles were established and a variety of flavors were developed throughout the country, making ramen an extremely diverse food culture.

In this issue, we introduce "Shoyu ramen," "Miso ramen," and "Shio ramen," which can be considered the basic flavors of the diverse ramen culture.

The product we used:

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (1)

EBM Porcelain Authentic Dragon Ramen Noodle Soup Bowl

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Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (3)

EBM Porcelain Renge Spoon Rest

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Japan's Ramen Culture is Diverse

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (4)

Ramen originated as a Chinese noodle dish, and it is said that foreigners (mainly Chinese) came to Japan with the opening of Japanese ports that brought ramen culture to Japan.

The most orthodox style of ramen is soy sauce-based ramen, or "chuka-soba," but miso and salt variations were eventually created, and these "soy sauce, miso, and Shio (salt)" became the basic flavors of the dish.

Eventually, "tonkotsu ramen", which is made by simmering plenty of pork bones in a broth, and ike-kei ramen, a fusion of tonkotsu ramen and shoyu ramen with a twist, appeared. The ramen culture in Japan has evolved in its own unique way, with each region developing its own unique ramen and establishing ramen as a local cuisine.

Incidentally, the "three major ramen" in Japan are Hakata ramen with its milky white pork bone broth, Sapporo ramen with its miso-based soup topped with local specialties such as corn and seafood, and Kitakata ramen with its refreshing soy sauce and pork bone broth.

Soy Sauce Ramen Features

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (5)

This ramen combines a chicken broth mainly made of chicken stock with soy sauce.

It is the most basic ramen and is sometimes referred to as "Chinese soba.

Menma, chopped green onions, and chashu pork are standard toppings.

Most local ramen is soy sauce ramen, with Asahikawa ramen, Kushiro ramen, Kitakata ramen, Tokyo ramen, and Hachioji ramen are typical examples.

Miso Ramen Features

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (6)

Miso soup is used as the base of ramen, especially in Hokkaido's miso ramen, as typified by Sapporo ramen.

Hokkaido miso ramen is typically topped with Hokkaido specialties such as corn, crab, and scallops.

Also popular in recent years is spicy miso ramen, in which chili paste is added to miso ramen.

Shio Ramen Features

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (7)

This ramen features a beautifully clear broth made of chicken broth and salt.

Fried sesame seeds, corn, seaweed, and chashu pork are the standard toppings, and some restaurants add ham made from chicken for a lighter feel.

Hakodate ramen is a typical local shio ramen.

The Profound World of Ramen

The world of ramen is very deep and there are many different styles.

In recent years, it is not uncommon to find ramen with complex flavors, combining chicken and pork bones, seafood broth such as dried bonito flakes and dried bonito, and vegetable broth, and then adding back a blend of salt, soy sauce, and other ingredients.

Toppings have also diversified, and new styles continue to emerge, such as the addition of pork backfat and charred garlic.

More and more people in Japan and around the world are becoming fascinated with the world of ramen, where there are no strict rules or standards and people can freely explore their own unique tastes.

Furthermore, ramen is characterized not only by soup and toppings, but also by a variety of noodle shapes, including thin, medium-fine, thick, straight, and curly noodles. Ramen is the trinity of noodles, soup, and toppings. The combinations are almost endless.

Why don't you take your own special soup and make your original ramen?

The product we used:

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (8)

EBM Porcelain Authentic Dragon Ramen Noodle Soup Bowl

Click here for the product page

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (9)

EBM Porcelain Renge Spoon 13.7cm

Click here for the product page

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (10)

EBM Porcelain Renge Spoon Rest

Click here for the product page

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio (2024)

FAQs

Three Basic Flavors of Ramen! Soy Sauce, Miso and Shio? ›

But the main way ramen is categorized is by its primary flavor, which comes from how its broth is made. There are four general classes of ramen: shoyu, tonkotsu, miso, and shio.

What are the common flavors of ramen? ›

But the main way ramen is categorized is by its primary flavor, which comes from how its broth is made. There are four general classes of ramen: shoyu, tonkotsu, miso, and shio.

What are the 4 types of ramen? ›

You often see ramen categorized into four classes: shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented bean paste), and tonkotsu (pork), which doesn't make particular sense, as the first three are flavorings, while the fourth is the broth base.

What is the most basic ramen? ›

In most cases, noodle shape and thickness vary depending on the type of ramen, location or shop, and multiple toppings are added; but it's the soup base itself that really gives each type its own unique kick. Shio Ramen, or salt base, is the simplest type you can eat.

What are the basics of ramen? ›

//basics of ramen

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish with Chinese-style alkaline noodles. It is the harmony of five key elements of ramen: broth, tare (sauce), noodles, toppings, and oil.

What are the spices in ramen? ›

But to get more granular (literally), pretty much every brand of instant noodles seasoning contains dehydrated alliums and herbs like onion, garlic, scallions, chives, and cilantro, to name a few. Some, like Shin Ramyum and Jin, also have dried mushroom or cabbage powder which are natural enhancers of savory flavors.

What is miso ramen? ›

Miso ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. It is called Miso Ramen because its broth is made from miso along with chicken stock, vegetables, and ground pork. This kind of ramen soup is thick and rich. The noodles should be fresh and are best when springy, chewy, and yellow.

What is shio broth? ›

In fact, shio translates to “salt,” and sea salt is considered the oldest form of ramen seasoning. Typically, a shio broth is made with chicken or pork base. You can identify this broth both by it's extremely salty flavor, as well as it's clear yellow coloring. Often, shio ramen contains quite a lot of seaweed.

What is the difference between miso and shio ramen? ›

A: Each type of ramen has its own distinct flavor profile. Shio ramen is salty, Tonkotsu ramen is rich and creamy, Miso ramen has a savory and slightly sweet taste from the miso paste, and Shoyu ramen has a savory and slightly salty flavor from the soy sauce used in the broth.

What flavors of ramen are there? ›

There are four major types of Japanese ramen, decided by the tare, or base flavor: shio (salt-based ramen), shoyu (soy sauce-based ramen), miso (soybean paste-flavored ramen), and tonkotsu (pork bone broth ramen).

What is the rarest type of ramen? ›

I tried Japan's rarest ramen flavor. It's called the Ice Ramen, and its ingredients are so insane. that only brave people are able to eat it, because you can only get it at the Ice Ramen restaurant, which is completely made of ice. Yes, the whole restaurant is actually made of ice.

What are the 5 elements of ramen? ›

“There are five basic elements to ramen: noodles, tare, broth, topping and aroma oil,” Sun Noodle's executive chef Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura says. “For a very long time people in Japan were very poor, so they couldn't eat regular proteins or meat.

What is the original top ramen flavor? ›

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momof*cku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese food company Nissin. He used Chicken Ramen as the first brand of instant ramen noodles.

What are the 5 things in ramen? ›

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish with Chinese-style alkaline noodles. It is the harmony of five key elements of ramen: broth, tare (sauce), noodles, toppings, and oil.

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