Make Dashi Broth and Ramen at Home

In this post, we'll go over how to make dashi broth from scratch, as well as making your own homemade ramen.

Olivia Higgs

Jan 16

3.5 mins

Jan 16

3.5 mins

Ramen is one of the most popular dishes in Japan and around the world. But what is it that makes it so delicious? The answer lies in the broth, and more specifically, dashi broth. Dashi is Japan's umami-rich fish broth, and it can be used to make many different types of ramen.

The most common type of dashi uses a mix of kombu which is kelp seaweed and katsuobushi, otherwise known as dried bonito flakes. But you can use other dried fish like anchovies or sardines or if you’re after a vegetarian-friendly version you can just soak the seaweed on its own or along with some shiitake mushrooms. This version uses a mix of kombu, shiitake dried mushrooms and bonito flakes along with some additional flavorings for our ramen - chilli, ginger and garlic. You can also swap the pork belly for fried tofu, using similar flavorings, if you're making a vegetarian-friendly version.

Dashi Broth Ingredients

3 pieces of kombu
30g/1 ounce shiitake dried mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
15g/2 inches root ginger
2 litres/9 cups cups water
3-4 dried chillies
10g/1 cup bonito flakes
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Ramen Ingredients

dashi broth (see above)
250g ramen noodles
300g pork belly
pork belly marinade (five-spice, salt, vegetable oil)
4-5 leaves of bok choy
1 can of bamboo shoots
Toppings: ramen egg, spring onions/scallions, sesame seeds

Method

The Dashi Broth

You can make this in one stretch along with your ramen but for convenience, it's best to make this in the advance to have on hand for all your culinary adventures.

Heat a pot filled with 2 litres/9 cups of water and bring it to just below a simmer point.
Add your kombu, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and chillis to the pot and let it steep for around 30 minutes.
Once 30 minutes has passed, remove the kombu which by this point should have expanded. Then add in your bonito flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes then strain.
Then you want to cook the strained liquid down to about half the amount. At this point you can add any final seasoning to your broth - rice wine vinegar or soy sauce.
If you're making this in advance, simply heat a portion of the broth when it comes time to serving.

The Rest of the Ramen

Ramen Egg

If you're adding ramen eggs to your ramen, you'll want to make this first as it needs to marinate for a few hours.

Method:

Cook your egg(s) in boiling water to your liking:

5 1/2 mins - soft egg white, runny yolk
6 mins - set egg white, runny yolk
6 1/2 mins - set egg white, jammy yolk
7 mins - set egg white, half set yolk

Once cooked, dunk them into an ice bath or run under cold water for a few minutes. Delicately peel off the shells and place in a bowl. Cover the eggs in a marinade of soy sauce and a splash of mirin (if you can't find mirin you can use a dry sherry or a sweet marsala wine for a similar flavor). Leave for a few hours.

Pork Belly

The next thing to make in terms of timings is your pork belly as it has a total cook time of around 50 minutes.

Score the fatty side of the pork belly with a sharp knife. Combine five-spice (star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, cinnamon, peppercorns) with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of vegetable oil - give it a good mix. Rub this spice mix into the the pork belly and into the groves where you've scored the fat.

Sear in a hot pan for 5-7 minutes making sure to flip every few minutes. Transfer to a lined baking try and roast in the oven, fat-side up, for around 45 minutes at 180C/356F. Once cooked, chop into bite-sized chunks.

Vegetables

These won't take long at all. Heat a pan on medium heat, and cook the bok choy with a little oil for about 3 minutes. Add your bamboo shoots and cook for a further 2 minutes (until the bamboo shoots have warmed through).

Noodles

The noodles you won't need to prepare until you're about to eat. Cook noodles in boiling water for a few minutes and rinse with cold water.

Now to assemble..

In serving bowls, add a portion of noodles, pork belly, bok choy and bamboo shoots. Pour your hot dashi broth over to cover everything in your bowl. Top with chopped spring onions/ scallions, sesame seeds and your ramen egg.

@joinrassa How to make ramen with dashi broth 🍜 #ramen #ramennoodles #japanesefood #noodles #japanese #fyp #foryou #japan #porkbelly #howto #recipe #homemade #learnontiktok #winter #slowfood #foodtiktok #foodtok #foodie ♬ Chill, lo-fi, piano, relax, night(901841) - Yu Yaguchi