Shoyu ramen

Step 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb chicken wings in a large pan, cover with cold tap water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Boil for 3 minutes, then tip into a colander and rinse off the grey scum under the cold tap. This quick blanch keeps the finished soup clear.

Step 2: Rinse the pan, return the wings and add 6 ¾ cups water, 1 onion, 4 slices fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic and 2 spring onion green tops. Bring up slowly over a medium heat and skim off any foam as it rises. Common mistake: letting the pot boil hard. Rolling bubbles beat the fat into the liquid and turn the broth cloudy, which is right for tonkotsu but wrong for shoyu.

Step 3: Turn the heat down so only a few lazy bubbles break the surface. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, skimming now and then.

Step 4: Slip 1 skinless chicken breast into the simmering broth and poach for 12–15 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 165°F/165 °F and the juices run clear when you pierce it. For the last 10 minutes, add ⅛ oz kombu (dried kelp) too; lift the kombu out before the broth bubbles more strongly, or it turns slimy and bitter.

Step 5: Meanwhile lower 2 eggs into a small pan of boiling water and cook for 6½ minutes for jammy yolks. Cool in cold water for 3 minutes, then peel and halve. For anyone pregnant, very young, elderly or with a weakened immune system, boil them for 9 minutes so the yolks are firm.

Step 6: Put 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and ½ tsp salt in a small pan and let it bubble over a medium heat for 1 minute. Mirin and sake contain alcohol; a short boil reduces it but doesn't remove it all. For an alcohol-free tare, leave both out and use 2 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp water instead.

Step 7: Lift the chicken onto a board and let it rest for 3 minutes before slicing thinly. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pan; you need about 900 ml. Skim 2 tsp of the yellow fat from the top and keep it for serving. Keep the broth hot over a low heat.

Step 8: If you're making the broth ahead, cool it quickly (stand the pan in a sink of cold water), refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring it back to a full boil before serving.

Step 9: Cook 9 oz fresh wavy ramen noodles in a large pan of boiling water following the packet, usually 1½–2 minutes for fresh. Drain and shake hard so no water dilutes the soup.

Step 10: Divide the tare between two warmed deep bowls and pour about 450 ml hot broth into each, stirring to mix. Add the noodles and fold them once so they lie neatly. Top with the chicken, egg halves, 1 sheet nori, 2 spring onions and 1 ⅜ oz menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) if using, add the reserved chicken fat and eat straight away.