Find more ramen inspiration in nine-part seriesThe Food that Built Asia, streaming at SBS On Demand now and airing on SBS Food from 25 February, with episodes on ramen, pad thai, lechon and more.
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The Food That Built Asia
series • Documentary
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series • Documentary
PG
At its core, ramen is simple. But what makes ramen recipes so enduring, both in Japan and globally, is how infinitely customisable they are.
“Ramen will usually have five elements,” says Adam Liaw on The Cook Up, “Noodles (alkalined wheat noodles), toppings, soup, oil and tare, or some sort of seasoning”
These parts form the foundation of Japan’s most iconic noodle dish – but ramen is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Its roots trace back to China in the late 1800s, but by the 1950s ramen had become Japan’s ultimate fast food. Today, more than 5000 ramen shops operate in Tokyo alone.
Regional styles reflect local produce and preferences. Sapporo’s miso ramen often features sweetcorn and butter, while Fukuoka’s creamy tonkotsu emerged during the wartime era when pork was more accessible than other meat. Broadly, ramen falls into five main categories: tonkotsu (pork bone), miso, shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), and abura soba or mazemen (brothless). Each has its own techniques, textures and toppings.
While traditional ramen can take years to master, these easy recipes offer accessible ways to bring its depth and character to your own kitchen, whether you’re after a quick fix or something slow-simmered and soulful.
Built from scratch, this classic ramen recipe is a love letter to Tokyo’s classic shoyu style. Every element – broth, tare, pork, egg, noodle – is homemade, making it as much a cooking journey as it is a satisfying meal. Shortcut if you need with store-bought ramen noodles.
From popular Japanese ramen chef Shigekazu Takanashi, this bowl features three kinds of chicken: chicken broth, chicken fat added for flavour and sliced chicken on top. The simple, elegant shoyu tare gives the dish a refined character. If you have all of the elements pre-made, this is ready in less than 10 minutes.
Inspired by Chinese tantanmen but grounded in Japanese ramen technique, this recipe from Marion Grasby layers sesame paste, soy milk and spice with toasty roast chicken for a shortcut to flavour depth.
Duck richness and scallop sweetness make this ramen a textural and flavourful journey. A special-occasion bowl that feels both quietly luxurious and soulful.
This miso ramen is a warming and hearty match for Sapporo’s snowy winters, with sweetcorn and butter often stirred in for local flair, richness and a savoury-sweet contrast.
If garlic is your love language, this is your ramen. A name like 'The vampire slayer promises punch' – and with 44 cloves of garlic, this ramen delivers. If the clove count sounds daunting, fear not, they're is deliciously dispersed between a slow-roasted pork belly, fried garlic powder and a togarashi and garlic-infused oil. Balanced by creamy soy sauce, this a modern, full-throttle bowl of ramen noodles built for bold palates.
Sweet corn and mellow leek offer a lighter, vegetarian-friendly take on classic Sapporo ramen that still delivers comfort.
Famous for its creamy, opaque broth, tonkotsu ramen earned cult status in Fukuoka before spreading nationwide. This version builds layer upon layer – pork loin, miso, sesame, and more – for a ramen that’s rich, restorative and worth every minute. Originating in Kyushu, this style reflects the slow, methodical approach behind many of Japan’s most iconic dishes.
‘Soba’ in this context refers to the noodle format, not buckwheat noodles – it’s ramen-style wheat noodles served without broth, just a seasoned oil-based sauce. Created in postwar Tokyo, abura soba is thought to have emerged in the 1950s as a cost-effective, efficient dish when broth was expensive or impractical.
Meaty mushrooms, chilli heat and layered umami make this a standout vegetarian ramen. Big on flavour, low on compromise, perfect for cool evenings.
This ramen leans on kombu, soy and shiitake to create rich depth – proof that vegan ramen can hold its own in any lineup.
This recipe proves vegetarian ramen doesn’t need hours to deliver complexity. Miso, fermented chilli bean paste and shiitake form the flavour base, while simmering the corn cob adds natural sweetness. Built in a wok, finished with butter, it’s a speedy take on Hokkaido’s miso ramen traditions.
Tofu adds heartiness while furikake layers crunch and savoury zing to this vegan ramen. A great choice when you want something fun, filling and weeknight-friendly.
A summer favourite in Japan, hiyashi chuka is cool, colourful and built for the heat. Think ramen, but salad-style – chilled ramen noodles get an iconic rainbow layer of slivered toppings and a bright vinegar dressing, in a dish that refreshes as much as it satisfies.
This creamy chicken ramen gets its richness not from dairy but from long-simmered bones – similar to tonkotsu, but lighter, silkier and slightly sweet.
Forget the broth, this Nagoya-born ramen style – Mazemen means 'mixed noodles' – is all about punchy, concentrated flavour. Dried shiitake and bonito powders bring instant umami, stirred through soy, oyster sauce and black vinegar. A raw egg yolk and hot oil finish turn this 10-minute dish into a silky, savoury standout.
An Australian spin on ramen, this bowl blends Japanese technique with native ingredients. Lean, lightly gamey crocodile meat is complemented by a wattleseed shoyu broth. If you’ve never had crocodile, this ramen is a gentle entry point.
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