Shoyu ramen is a popular noodle dish with soy sauce-based broth. It is one of the 3 basic ramen and is known for its savory umami flavor.
In this article, we will explain what is shoyu ramen and how it is different from others.
What you will learn:
- Origins of shoyu ramen
- The taste of shoyu ramen
- Recommended stores for shoyu ramen etc
Click here to enjoy your authentic ramen conveniently
History of Shoyu Ramen
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Shoyu ramen, or the first ramen originated in Asakusa, Japan.
In 1879, the first Chinese cuisine store was set up in Yokohama, Kanagawa, and the influence of Chinese food made a great impact on Japanese food.
With the continued popularity of Chinese food, Kanichi Ozaki opened a store called “Rairaiken（来々軒）” in 1910.
It was set up in Asakusa, Japan with a team of cooks hired from Yokohama’s Chinatown.
Right after that, the first ramen boom came, and the restaurant served 3,000 customers every day.
In 1923, the great Kanto earthquake disaster happened, and it spread the ramen stores that were mainly in Tokyo and Yokohama all over Japan.
Ramen continues to be loved and in 2015, Tsuta ramen received the first Michelin in the world.
Ramen are developing and there are more varieties of shoyu ramen now in Japan.
Although there is a variety of ramen now, shoyu still shines as the most popular taste in Japan according to a LINE survey.
If you do not like the taste of shoyu ramen you had in a store, most likely is that that specific ramen was not a cup of your tea.
You may want to try other stores or even visit different prefectures to try different shoyu ramen.
History (cited from Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum)
1879 First Chinese cuisine store set up in Yokohama, Kanagawa
1910 First ramen store, rairaiken opened in Asakusa, Tokyo
1923 Ramen spread from Tokyo, Yokohama to all over Japan
1958 First instant noodles were sold
1996 Unique ramen starts to appear
2015 Tsuta received the first Michelin in ramen
What Does it Taste Like?
Shoyu ramen usually has a taste of soy sauce (shoyu, 醤油): clear and savory.
Japan has shoyu, miso, and shio (salt) as the 3 main sauces for ramen called tare. They will blend it with the broth (dashi) the chefs took from pork, chicken, kelp, or any other ingredients before serving.
Usually, people use chicken dashi for shoyu ramen, so it mostly has a refreshing and savory soy sauce and umami taste.
However, ramen chefs use different types of dashi, soy sauce, and cooking methods to bring out the unique taste. There’s a taste for each ramen shop.
If you like something rich, you can try “tonkotsu shoyu ramen (豚骨醤油ラーメン）”. Tonkotsu means pork bone, which means they use pork bone for dashi.
It’s recommended to people who like a mellow and richer taste and texture.
Noodle That Goes Well With Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu ramen usually goes well with straight noodles that have a moderately chewy texture.
Each ramen store has different types of Chinese noodles.
However, since soy sauce has a smooth broth, it’s better to combine it with the noodles that will not overpower the shoyu taste when eaten.
For example, if you look at TSUTA shoyu ramen, they use straight noodles that have a moderate thickness.
Toppings That Goes Well With Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu ramen, like any other ramen, can be topped with different toppings.
Here are 5 usual toppings that match well and 3 toppings that specifically match well to Shoyu ramen.
Popular Toppings for any ramen
Here are the 5 toppings that you can try not only for shoyu, but also for other ramen.
- Soft-boiled eggs （半熟煮玉子）
This is one of the popular toppings to go with ramen. It is a boiled egg soaked in soy sauce marinade. The sauce usually contains soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and sugar.
The shoyu marinade on the egg will pair well with the shoyu ramen.
- Menma
Bamboo shoots that mostly consumes in Taiwan or China. It's simmered in chicken broth with soy sauce. The crunchy texture accentuates the dish.
- Chashu
Charsiew. Pork belly or loin marinated and simmered in soy sauce-based marinade. Some stores will use this marinade to make shoyu tare for ramen.
- Green onions
Usually thinly sliced. It’s common to slice vertically for the white parts.
- Seaweed
Grilled seaweed that does not have any seasonings. Grilled seaweed has 3 types of umami and it will boost the shoyu ramen together with the umami from the chicken broth.
Toppings That Go Well With Shoyu Ramen
Here are the 3 toppings that you may often see in some shoyu ramen.
- Spinach
It is not a common topping, but you will see some time in shoyu ramen served with a clearer soup.
It is loved because it contains lots of nutrients and it does not change the taste of the delicate shoyu ramen.
- Onion
You will see diced sweet onions sometimes in a shoyu ramen with a garlicky or heavy taste.
It helps to refresh the taste with a crisp texture.
- Wakame seaweed
Rehydrated wakame also has an umami just like the grilled seaweed. The texture and the taste go extremely well with shoyu ramen.
Recommended Stores
Here are some of the Shoyu ramen that are popular in Japan.
Recommended stores:
- Menya Yosuke（麺屋ようすけ）
- Tsuta（蔦）
- Ramen Setagaya（らーめんせたが屋）
Menya Yosuke（麺屋ようすけ）
Menya Yosuke is well-known for its authentic Sano ramen（佐野ラーメン）. It is one of the local foods in Sano City, Tochigi prefecture.
It uses clear water from Sano City to make a light soy sauce broth.
They use a traditional method of using green bamboo to stretch the noodle dough. This brings a little curly, moisture, and chewy noodles.
It’s so popular that it will queue even on the weekday and was also recorded on Japanese TV programs.
They do not have branches out of the prefecture or overseas, but you can still try their ramen box abroad.
Tsuta（蔦）
Finally got around to trying Michelin-star Tsuta Ramen’s Brooklyn outpost.
— Spoon & Tamago (@Johnny_suputama) September 4, 2023
Surprisingly great! No wait (even on a weekend)! pic.twitter.com/WWeF777xpv
Tsuta is the world’s first ramen shop that received Michelin in 2016. It is a ramen that does not use any artificial seasoning to purely enhance and shows the possibility of natural umami.
They have “special soy sauce ramen” and “soy sauce ramen”, in which they blend chicken and seafood broth, and topped menma, chashu, half-boiled egg, green onions, and black truffle.
They not only have international branches but also ship ramen boxes internationally.
It is located in Yoyogi-Uehara, Tokyo.
Ramen Setagaya（らーめんせたが屋）
Look, I love Yamagoya as much as – actually way more than – the next man. But this Setagaya ramen? Phwoar pic.twitter.com/22e3tMZnOX
— Alex Christian (@alexschristian) May 5, 2023
Ramen Setagaya is a ramen that was awarded “Best of New York, Restaurant section” and one of the key ramen stores that made a ramen movement in the world.
It uses 2 types of dried sardines (niboshi), dried shiitake, kelp, and bonito flakes to make the soy sauce broth, so the taste is light compared to the chicken or pork broth.
You can enjoy the ramen in the Kanto area or the U.S.
Try Wagokoro Japan Gift to Enjoy Authentic Ramen!
We offer authentic Japanese ramen boxes across the world. This includes the Tsuta shoyu ramen box that we have introduced in this article or shoyu ramen from Hirugao.
