Yokohama Iekei Ramen

A rich Yokohama-style ramen combining pork, chicken, soy, thick noodles, spinach, and nori.

The Story

Iekei ramen began in Yokohama in 1974 at a shop called Yoshimuraya. The style combines a rich pork-and-chicken broth with soy sauce, thick noodles, and distinctive toppings of spinach and sheets of nori. Shops descended from the original often adopted names ending in “-ya,” or “house,” eventually giving the style its name: ie-kei, or “house-style” ramen.

Tare

Ingredients

• 450 g soy sauce
• 50 g mirin
• 50 g sake
• 30 g MSG

Instructions

1. Combine the tare ingredients.

Broth

Ingredients

• 75% pork bones by weight
• 25% chicken bones by weight
• 1 L water for every 0.8 kg bones
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Onion
• Lettuce
• Green onions

Instructions

1. Combine the bones and water.
2. Boil on high for 10 hours, refilling the water to the original level every 2 hours.
3. With 1 1/2 hours remaining, add the garlic, ginger, onion, lettuce, and green onions.
4. Strain.
5. For a thicker broth, blend with a stick blender.

To Serve

Ingredients

• Thicker noodles
• Nori
• Spinach

Instructions

1. Assemble with the tare, broth, thick noodles, plenty of nori, and spinach.