From my kitchen in Japan
I made the beginner bowl and got the flavor direction I wanted: a basic, old-fashioned Japanese shoyu ramen. The pasta transformation was also clear—yellow color, ramen-like aroma and a noodle texture that no longer felt like ordinary pasta.
Ingredients
- Dry pasta1.4 mm, 100 g
- Water for noodles1.5 L
- Baking soda15 g
- Salt10 g
- Water for soup300 mL
- Ajinomoto Marudori Gara Soup6 g
- Regular Kikkoman Soy Sauce15 g
- AJI-NO-MOTO1 g
- Lard5 g
- Black pepper1 small pinch
- ToppingsOptional
Safety before you start
Put the water, baking soda and salt into the pot first, stir, and only then turn on the heat. Adding baking soda to violently boiling water can cause sudden foaming.
Do not use an aluminum pot. Use stainless steel or enameled cookware. Alkaline cooking water can attack aluminum.
The noodle water can foam strongly during cooking. Use a large pot, stay with it, and reduce the heat immediately if the foam rises toward the rim. Take normal precautions against burns and fire.
How to make it
- Prepare the alkaline noodle water. Put 1.5 L cold water, 15 g baking soda and 10 g salt in a large stainless-steel or enameled pot. Stir well before turning on the heat.
- Make the soup. In a separate small saucepan, combine 300 mL water, 6 g Ajinomoto Marudori Gara Soup, 15 g regular Kikkoman Soy Sauce, 1 g AJI-NO-MOTO and 5 g lard. Heat gently until steaming with small bubbles around the edge; do not let it violently boil.
- Cook the 1.4 mm pasta for 7 minutes. Bring the alkaline water to a controlled boil, add 100 g of 1.4 mm dry pasta, stir and cook for 7 minutes. Watch the foam continuously and reduce the heat if it rises.
- Drain immediately. Drain the noodles very well and put them directly into the serving bowl.
- Finish the bowl. Pour in the hot soup, add 1 small pinch of black pepper, and serve immediately. Toppings are optional.
Troubleshooting
The pot is foaming hard
What to do: Reduce the heat immediately. Do not try to push through a violent boil.
The noodles still feel like pasta
Check first: Was the pasta actually 1.4 mm? Did you use baking soda rather than baking powder? Did you cook for the full 7 minutes?
The soup tastes weak
Check first: Confirm the 6 g Marudori, 15 g soy sauce, 1 g AJI-NO-MOTO and 5 g lard before adding extra salt or soy sauce.
The exact benchmark products
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Why this route is so specific
The first bowl should not make a beginner guess. Ramen Anywhere keeps the initial path narrow, then teaches substitutions and flavor logic after the first success.
Open the Ramen Anywhere companion
Mitsuhiro Eguchi
A Japanese home cook sharing practical Japanese recipes, ingredient workarounds and lessons from cooking in Japan.
About Mitsuhiro