Ramen Types - The Big 4 (2024)

Ramen is Japan's Ultimate Soul Food. Perhaps even the world's Ultimate Soul Food. There are now countless ramen types, from the heavy and thick to the light and springy. But if we start with the basics, there are 4 main ones, or as I call them, "The Big 4".

1. Shoyu Ramen

Shoyu (soy sauce) is at the center of Japanese cuisine. So it's no wonder that shoyu ramen was the first ever ramen. While there's an insane amount of shoyu ramen variety, the broth is normally brown in color and naturally carries a salty, tangy flavor. In Tokyo's version, curly noodles are often used.Photo: Washo (Sangenjaya, Tokyo)

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2. Shio Ramen

"Shio" literally means salt. But in a way, shio ramen can taste less salty than shoyu ramen. Its yellowish, clear broth has a contrastingly light and refreshing taste. The soup can be a blend of plenty of vegetables, along with chicken, and sometimes pork or fish. The noodles are usually straight and thin. Photo: Funamizaka (Ginza, Tokyo)

3. Tonkotsu Ramen

Probably the most popular ramen type outside of Japan, tonkotsu ramen has a cloudy and white colored broth. This happens after pork bones are boiled for hours and hours, providing a creamy and almost milky flavor. We have the island of Kyushu to thank for tonkotsu ramen, which originally started out as street stall food. Photo: Urinbo (Asakusa, Tokyo)

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4. Miso Ramen

Miso ramen got its start at "Aji no Sanpei" in Sapporo, Hokkaido. While there are other miso ramen styles around the country, Sapporo's miso ramen is the most famous. It's known for being hearty and lardy - great for those cold Sapporo winters. In addition, butter and corn are fun, popular toppings. Photo: Funamizaka (Ginza, Tokyo)

Beyond the big 4, there are countless ramen types - whether regional specialties or modern ones out of Tokyo. What makes ramen wonderful is that it's constantly evolving.

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Ramen Types - The Big 4 (2024)

FAQs

What are the four main types of ramen? ›

There are four general classes of ramen: shoyu, tonkotsu, miso, and shio. Here's what you need to know about these four types of ramen.

What are the 4 components of ramen? ›

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish with Chinese-style alkaline noodles. It is the harmony of five key elements of ramen: broth, tare (sauce), noodles, toppings, and oil.

What are the 5 pillars of ramen? ›

Usually varieties of ramen are differentiated by the type of broth and tare used. There are five components to a bowl of ramen: tare, aroma oil, broth, noodles and toppings.

What does Goma mean in ramen? ›

Nan's Noodle House - 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘...Goma means sesame in Japanese, and mazemen is a simple ramen that doesn't have a broth component. Goma Mazemen is a unique, fun dish that's kept true to the spirit of ramen, but Slightly different!

Is miso or shoyu better? ›

Shio or Shoyu flavored soups merely accent the flavor of the underlying broth, while miso leaves a fuller complex taste in the mouth since it also has a strong taste of its own.

Which ramen broth is healthiest? ›

Shio is considered a healthier ramen because of the thinner broth. Instead of the flavor from fat in the liquid, it comes from salt and other seasonings. Keep it low in calories by minimizing the fatty toppings or adding more vegetables to your noodles.

What are the 5 aspects of ramen? ›

“There are five basic elements to ramen: noodles, tare, broth, topping and aroma oil,” Sun Noodle's executive chef Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura says. “For a very long time people in Japan were very poor, so they couldn't eat regular proteins or meat.

What is the secret of ramen? ›

Noodle's Secret ~ Kansui lye water. Japanese lye water called kansui is an indispensable auxiliary ingredient for ramen noodles, and it is no exaggeration to say that it produces the exquisite balance between ramen noodles unique koshi firmness and soup flavour.

What are the 5 ingredients in ramen? ›

What are the 5 components of ramen?
  • Soup. The main components of a finished ramen broth are soup, tare (sauce), and fats and oils. ...
  • Tare (sauce) Tare is the ramen soup seasoning. ...
  • Noodles. ...
  • Oils and fats. ...
  • Toppings. ...
  • Skill (Bonus)
Aug 17, 2022

What does Tori stand for in ramen? ›

In Japanese ramen, the thick and opaque broth made from pork bones is called tonkotsu. And its equivalent made from chicken is called tori paitan, meaning chicken white broth.

What is the Uzumaki thing in ramen? ›

Narutomaki, a type of cured fish cake, is a popular ramen topping with a distinctive pink swirl.

What is the most important part of ramen? ›

The broth is the most important part of the ramen — it's where most of the flavor comes from. Typically, ramen broth is a combination of pork or chicken stock and dashi. Dashi is a simple Japanese soup stock containing kombu and bonito flakes.

What are the 4 types of ramen? ›

Ramen is typically classified by broth flavor, with three especially common categories: shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), and miso. A fourth, tonkotsu, references the broth's base ingredient, not flavor.

What does the ra in ramen mean? ›

Nobody knows the origin of the word "ramen," although there are several theories. The most likely explanation, based on the way to make noodles, is that the word comes from two Chinese characters that are read as "ra" and "men," meaning "stretch" and "noodle."

What is the rubbery thing in ramen? ›

Narutomaki on its own boasts a pleasantly chewy and slightly rubbery texture, which is the result of steaming the fish cake. Because the fish is transformed into a fine paste before it goes through the steaming process, the texture ends up being quite unique.

What is the most common ramen? ›

1. Shoyu ramen: Shoyu ramen is served in a soup base, typically chicken broth, flavored with soy sauce. It is the most common type of ramen in Japan.

How many types of ramen are there in Japan? ›

Ramen is a rich dish filled with endless potential. Accordingly, there are at least 30 regional varieties of ramen in Japan with different broths, noodles, seasonings, and toppings.

What is shoyu ramen vs tonkotsu? ›

The main difference between Shoyu and Tonkotsu Ramen is the broth. Shoyu Ramen has a clear and light broth that is flavored with soy sauce, while Tonkotsu Ramen has a cloudy and thick broth that is made from pork bones. The broth affects not only the taste, but also the texture and appearance of the ramen.

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