This is Part 1 of a 3-part series showcasing the Great Ramen of Japan: Kitakata Ramen, Sapporo Ramen and Hakata Ramen.

In this recipe, I will show you how to make Kitakata Ramen 喜多方ラーメン. Kitakata City has the most ramen shops per capita in Japan. The ramen is made with shoyu base and is unique in its style of noodle; the texture is firm, flat, and curlier than the ramen noodles used elsewhere in Japan, making them extra slippery – also known as Hirauchi Jukusei Takasuimen. Kitakata ramen is all about the rich flavour of the broth and noodles. 

In my recipe, I have used chicken and niboshi to make the soup base so that it is light yet flavourful. The noodles are made with high water content flour, carefully aged and made into thick and curly texture which is the main focus for this ramen. The toppings are Chashu, Shironegi, Menma, Naruto and Ajitama which follows closely to the traditional recipe.

As always, I did not use any MSG because I try to use various alternative ingredients to bring out the umami in my own recipes.

Hope you enjoy the recipe, visit my youtube channel if you do! Please also subscribe if you wish to watch more ramen recipe videos and feel free to leave a comment for request of any ramen recipes. Thank you!

How to make Kitakata Ramen

Ingredients

for SAUCE

• WATER 120ml
• USUKUCHI SHOYU 70ml
• KOIKUCHI SHOYU 50ml
• THAI FISH SAUCE 30ml
• HON MIRIN 20ml
• RICE VINEGAR 10ml
• NIBOSHI 20g
• SEA SALT 10g
• RISHIRI KOMBU 1pc

for SOUP

• WATER 2.5L
• WHOLE CHICKEN 1pc
• ONION 1pc
• DRIED SHIITAKE 2pc
• GARLIC 5pcs
• MINCED PORK 200g
• NIBOSHI 35g

for NOODLES

• WATER 192ml
• SALT 6g
• KANSUI 6g
• HOKKAIDO FLOUR 400g

for OIL

• CHICKEN SKIN 500g
• SLICED ONION
• SLICED GARLIC
• NIBOSHI

for CHASHU

• PORK BELLY 500g
• COOKING SAKE
• GARLIC
• GINGER SLICE
• SEA SALT 15g

for TOPPING

• SLICED SHIRONEGI
• NARUTO
• AJITAMA
• MENMA

Methods

STEP 1 : SAUCE

1. Add Water, Usukuchi Shoyu, Koikuchi Shoyu, Thai Fish Sauce, Hon Mirin, Rice Vinegar, Niboshi, Sea Salt and Rishiri Kombu into a pot. And start stove on medium heat to boil sauce.

2. Once sauce boils, stop stove.

3. Cover the sauce and leave overnight.

4. Strain the sauce. Sauce is done.

STEP 2 : SOUP

1. Add Water and Whole Chicken into a large pot.

2. Start to boil at medium heat.

3. Remove scum.

4. Once soup boils, change to low heat and simmer 2hours.

5. Add Onion, Dried Shiitake, Garlic, Minced Pork and Niboshi to a pot. And continue to simmer 1hour.

6. Stop stove and Strain soup. Soup is done.

STEP 3 : NOODLES

1. Mix with Water, Salt and Kansui.

2. Stir kansui mixture in batches into Hokkaido Flour.

3. Place into a resealable bag and press flat.

4. Store for 5hours in room temperature followed by 3days in the fridge.

5. Cut a dought.

6. Flatten dought using noodle machine.

7. As high water content noodles are sticky, coat with potato starch.

8. Cut into thick and flat noodles.

9. Scrunch to make the noodles curly.

10. Store for 2days in the fridge fot aging process. Noodles are done.

STEP 4 : OIL

1. Add Chicken Skin to a cooking pan and fry at low heat.

2. When chicken skin turn crispy, remove from pan.

3. Add Sliced Onion, garlic and handful Niboshi to the chicken oil.

4. Fry at low heat until onions turn golden brown and there is fragrance.

5. Ramen Oil is done.

STEP 5 : CHASHU

1. Add Pork Belly, Cooking Sake, Garlic and Ginger Slice and Sea Salt into resealable bag and marinate 2hours.

2. Place in oven with skin facing down and bake 20min for 180℃.

3. turn and bake for 20 more min.

4. Remove from oven.

5. Wrap with aluminum foil and leave to cool.

6. Slice Chashu. Chashu is done.

7. Toppings are Sliced Shironegi, Naruto, Ajitama and Menma.

STEP 6 : KITAKATA RAMEN

1. Boil Noodles for 5min.

2. Add Ramen Sauce, Ramen Oil and Soup into a bowl.

3. Add Noodles and Toppings.

4. Kitakata Ramen is done.

Make your own ramen

If you’d like to make authentic ramen like this recipe, you can make your own with all the ingredients and cooking utensils!
You can buy the ingredients for ramen RAMEN KAONASHI STORE.

Basics of Making Ramen: Cooking Utensils for Japanese Craft Ramen