A famously dark, salty ramen from Toyama built around a powerful soy tare.
The Story
Toyama Black ramen was created in Toyama shortly after World War II as a filling, salty meal for manual laborers. Its unusually dark broth came from a heavy use of soy sauce, providing workers with extra salt during physically demanding work. What began as practical working-class food eventually became one of Toyama’s most recognizable regional dishes.
Broth
Ingredients
- 2 kg pork femur
- 3 kg chicken backs
- Green onion
- Garlic
- 1 whole onion
- Dried mackerel
- Dried sardines
- Water
Instructions
- Cover the pork femur with water by about 1 inch and boil until scum rises.
- Remove the scum. Add the chicken backs and enough water to cover, then skim again.
- Pressure-cook for 90 minutes.
- Add the green onion, garlic, onion, dried mackerel, and sardines.
- Boil for another 60 minutes.
- Strain into another pot.
Tare
Ingredients
- 225 g tamari
- 225 g soy sauce
- 50 g mirin
- 15 g dried shiitake
- 5 g kombu
- 3 g MSG
- 10 g molasses
Instructions
- Combine the liquids with the shiitake and kombu and refrigerate for 6 hours.
- Heat in a saucepan until just below boiling, then remove the kombu.
- Add the MSG and molasses.
- Remove from heat, steep for 30 minutes, and strain.
Plating
Ingredients
- 35–45 g tare per 300 ml soup
- Medium-thick noodles
- Chashu
- Menma
- Negi
Instructions
- Use 35–45 g tare for every 300 ml soup, depending on desired saltiness.
- Cook the noodles and assemble with chashu, menma, and negi.