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Homemade Ramen Broth (Clear Chicken Base with Seasoning Liquid)

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time3 hours 5 minutes
  • YieldAbout 2.4 litres, enough for 6 bowls 1x

A clean, savoury chicken ramen broth with real body, made from roasted wings and carcass with kombu and dried shiitake, plus a separate soy seasoning liquid so you can build any bowl you like. Includes a 25-minute shortcut.

Ingredients

Scale

For the broth

  • 1 kg chicken wings
  • 1 chicken carcass, raw or from a roast
  • 1 large onion, halved, skin left on
  • 1 whole head of garlic, halved across the middle
  • 40 g fresh ginger, sliced and bruised
  • 4 spring onions, green tops only, bruised
  • About 3 litres cold water, enough to just cover
  • 1 piece kombu, about 10 x 10 cm
  • 15 g dried shiitake mushrooms

For the seasoning liquid (tare)

  • 120 ml light soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake, or 2 tbsp water plus 1/2 tsp extra mirin
  • 1 tsp caster sugar

To finish each bowl

  • 10 g unsalted butter per bowl (optional but recommended)
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil per bowl (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Spread the chicken wings and carcass in a single layer in a large roasting tin and roast for 25 minutes, until deep golden with dark sticky patches on the tin.
  2. Tip the bones into a large stockpot. Pour a mugful of hot water into the roasting tin, scrape all the browned residue loose with a wooden spoon, and add that liquid to the pot too.
  3. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and spring onion tops. Pour in enough cold water to just cover the bones, around 3 litres.
  4. Bring slowly up towards a simmer over a medium heat. As grey-brown foam rises to the surface, skim it off with a ladle and discard. Keep skimming every few minutes for the first 15 minutes until the surface is largely clear.
  5. Reduce the heat until only occasional small bubbles break the surface. Partially cover and hold at this bare simmer for 2 hours, topping up with hot water if the bones become exposed. Do not let it boil at any point.
  6. Add the kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms. Take the pan off a full simmer and leave to steep gently for 20 minutes, then remove the kombu.
  7. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean container. Let it drip through on its own and do not press the solids, or it will cloud.
  8. To make the seasoning liquid, put the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small pan and warm gently over a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Pour into a clean jar.
  9. Taste the plain broth. It should be savoury but under-seasoned; all the salt comes from the seasoning liquid.
  10. To build a bowl, put 3 to 4 tbsp of seasoning liquid in the base of a warmed bowl. Ladle over 350 to 400 ml of hot broth and whisk in the butter and sesame oil, if using. Taste, adjust with a little more seasoning liquid if needed, then add your noodles and toppings.
  11. For best clarity and easy fat removal, chill the strained broth overnight and lift off the set fat layer before use. Save the fat for frying aromatics.

Notes

The 25-minute shortcut: Bring 1.2 litres of good fresh chicken stock to a simmer with the ginger, garlic, spring onion tops, kombu and dried shiitake. Steep for 15 minutes off a full simmer, strain, then season with the tare and finish with butter. Genuinely good, and what most of us make midweek.

Make ahead: The broth is better on day two. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in 400 ml single-bowl portions. The seasoning liquid keeps separately in a sealed jar in the fridge and lasts considerably longer.

The mistake to avoid: Never let the broth boil. A rolling boil emulsifies fat and scum into the liquid and gives you a murky, greasy result that cannot be fixed. Occasional small bubbles only.

Variations: Use 1 kg beef marrow bones and short rib, roasted 35 minutes and simmered 3 hours, for a beef broth. Add 200 g prawn shells to the roasting tin for a shellfish broth, simmering no more than 45 minutes. Whisk in 3 to 4 tbsp slaked white miso off the heat for a miso bowl, or 100 ml soya milk or single cream per litre for a creamy bowl.

How to judge it: A good broth sets to a soft jelly when refrigerated. If yours stays fully liquid, use a higher proportion of wings next time.

Equipment: A large roasting tin, a large stockpot, a ladle for skimming, a fine sieve, a small saucepan and storage containers or freezer bags.

Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

Take particular care with soy sauce (soya, wheat), mirin and sake (sulphites in some brands), kombu and dried shiitake (packed in facilities that may also handle fish, crustaceans and molluscs), butter (milk) and sesame oil (sesame). Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.

This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/homemade-ramen-broth-recipe/