A deep, milky Japanese ramen created by boiling pork bones for hours until emulsified and creamy. Served with firm noodles, savory tare, melt-in-your-mouth chashu, seasoned soft-boiled eggs, and classic toppings.
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg pork soup bones
- 800 g split pork trotters
- 150 g pork fatback or pork skin
- 5 l cold water
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 40 g fresh ginger
- 1 piece leek
- 600 g fresh ramen noodles
- 240 ml homemade shoyu tare
- 8 slices pork chashu
- 4 pieces ajitsuke tamago ramen eggs
- 120 g menma seasoned bamboo shoots
- 10 g dried wood ear mushrooms (kikurage)
- 1 bunch scallions
- 4 sheets nori sheets
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- to taste fine salt
- 250 ml Japanese soy sauce
- 120 ml mirin
- 120 ml cooking sake
- 10 g dried kombu
- 15 g katsuobushi
- 700 g rolled pork belly
- 2 tbsp sugar
Method
- Rinse the pork bones and trotters under cold water, then blanch them at a rapid rolling boil for a few minutes; discard the water, scrub the pot clean, and scrape away any impurities until the bones are pristine.
- Return the bones, trotters, and pork fatback to the pot with fresh cold water; bring to a vigorous boil, skim off any initial scum, and maintain a steady rolling boil until the liquid turns opaque and milky.
- Add the yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and leek; continue boiling uncovered, stirring occasionally and topping with hot water as needed to keep the bones submerged, until a rich roasted pork aroma develops and the broth feels lightly tacky on your lips.
- Remove the large bones, press the gelatinous bits and fat through a fine-mesh strainer into the broth, and discard solids; reduce the broth further until it lightly coats the back of a spoon, creamy and milky white.
- While the broth finishes reducing, prepare or reheat the shoyu tare, chashu pork, marinated eggs, menma, and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms; thinly slice the scallions and keep the nori sheets crisp and dry.
- Cook the ramen noodles in a large pot of boiling water until firm and springy with a slight chew; drain thoroughly to avoid diluting the broth in the bowl.
- In each warmed bowl, add the shoyu tare and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, then ladle in the piping-hot tonkotsu broth, whisking lightly to emulsify with the seasoning.
- Add the cooked noodles, lifting and folding them to align neatly in the broth, then arrange the chashu, halved marinated egg, menma, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and nori sheet on top; serve immediately, steaming and piping hot.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 1563.4 kcal
- Protein
- 95.05 g
- Carbohydrate
- 137.4 g
- Fat
- 64.29 g
- Fibre
- 8.12 g
- Calcium
- 97.15 mg
- Iron
- 4.46 mg
- Magnesium
- 132.17 mg
