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Today, we’re making halal-friendly shoyu ramen soup.
Ramen is one of the most popular Japanese foods around the world. But whether you eat it at a ramen shop or make it at home with store-bought ramen and the soup packet that comes with it, it can be difficult to avoid pork, non-halal meat, and alcohol.
So, this time, I’m making a basic Japanese-style shoyu ramen soup while keeping it halal-friendly.
Let’s get started!
Halal-Friendly Notes
No Pork or Non-Halal Meat
This ramen soup uses halal chicken wings instead of pork or non-halal meat.
No Sake or Mirin
In Japan, shoyu ramen soup often contain mirin and/or sake. This recipe does not require any alcoholic seasonings.
Ingredients
For the Broth (Serves 3–4)
- Halal chicken wings — 450 g (1 lb)
- Onion — 1/2, about 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Long green onion – 1 stalk (green part only)
- Garlic — 3 cloves
- Ginger — 1 Knob (10 g)
- Water — 1,500 mL (6 1/3 cups)
- Dashi packs — 2
For the Ramen Soup （1 Serving）
- Soy sauce — 2 tbsp
- Sugar — 1 tsp
- Broth — 300 mL (10 fl oz)
- Salt, toasted sesame oil, black pepper — to taste (Optional)
Prepare the Ingredients
Roughly chop the onion into chunks.
Prepare the green part of a long green onion.
Peel three cloves of garlic.
For the ginger, use about 10 grams. You can leave the skin on.
That’s all the prep work you need.
Make the Chicken Broth
In a pot, add:
- 450 g (1 lb) halal chicken wings
- Chopped onion
- Green part of a long green onion
- Ginger
- Garlic
- 1,500 mL (6 1/3 cups) water
I’m making a combination of chicken and seafood dashi, but don’t add the dashi packs just yet.
If you simmer the dashi packs for too long, they can lose their aroma and develop a bitter taste, so we’ll add them later.
Bring everything to a boil over high heat.
Skim the Foam
Once the broth comes to a boil, skim off the foam.
After removing the foam, reduce the heat to medium-low or low, until the broth is gently simmering.
Let it simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
This soup doesn’t take much work, but it does take some time.
While the soup is simmering, you can prepare noodles and your favorite toppings, such as a ramen egg, bean sprouts, or green onions.
Add the Seafood Dashi
After 45 minutes, it’s time to add dashi packs.
Add two dashi packs to the pot.
The dashi packs I’m using contain dried sardines, dried mackerel, dried bonito, and kelp.
You can use whatever dashi packs you prefer.
Let the broth simmer for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and strain the broth.
The final amount of soup will vary depending on how much water evaporates, but this recipe makes roughly 3–4 servings.
About 300 mL (10 fl oz) is a good guideline for one serving.
In my case, I ended up with 1,000 mL of soup.
Make the Shoyu Ramen Soup
Now, let’s combine the broth and seasonings to make the ramen soup.
In Japan, ramen shops typically make their soup by mixing a seasoned sauce called kaeshi with the broth directly in the bowl, so I’ll follow that method here.
For one serving, add:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 300 mL (10 fl oz) broth
Mix well.
This makes a basic, light Japanese-style shoyu ramen soup.
Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt, toasted sesame oil, and/or black pepper.
If you have toasted sesame oil, I highly recommend adding it. It really boosts the richness and aroma.
Serve the Ramen
Add the noodles and your favorite toppings, and the halal-friendly shoyu ramen is ready.
It has the classic Japanese-style shoyu ramen flavor, with savory chicken and fragrant seafood dashi.
The soup is light yet full-flavored, coating the noodles with every bite.
So good.
I hope you give it a try!
Watch How to Make It
This video shows how to make halal-friendly Japanese-style shoyu ramen soup step by step.
A quick peek at today’s halal Japanese dish