Tonkotsu Ramen Broth (with Tare, Black Garlic Oil and Toppings)
Pork trotters and bones blanched, scrubbed and boiled hard for 10–12 hours into a milky, collagen-rich broth, served with shoyu tare, black garlic oil, chashu pork belly, marinated eggs and thin ramen noodles.
Ingredients
Broth
- 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb) pork trotters, split or cut into pieces
- 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb) pork neck bones or femur bones, cut to expose the marrow
- about 5 litres (5 quarts) cold water, plus boiling water for topping up
- 1 onion, halved, skin on
- 1 head garlic, halved crossways
- 5 cm (2 in) piece ginger, sliced
- green parts of 4 spring onions (scallions)
Shoyu tare
- 120 ml (½ cup) Japanese soy sauce
- 60 ml (¼ cup) mirin
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sake
- 1 piece kombu 5 × 5 cm / 2 × 2 in
- 5 g (one small packet) katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Black garlic oil (mayu)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil
- 10 garlic cloves (about 40 g / 1 ½ oz), finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) toasted sesame oil
Chashu and marinated eggs
- 750 g (1 ⅔ lb) skinless pork belly, rolled and tied
- 120 ml (½ cup) soy sauce
- 120 ml (½ cup) sake
- 120 ml (½ cup) mirin
- 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
- 480 ml (2 cups) water
- 3 slices ginger and 2 spring onions
- 6 large eggs
To serve
- 720 g (1 lb 10 oz) fresh or 540 g (1 lb 3 oz) dried thin, straight ramen noodles (120 g / 90 g per bowl)
- thinly sliced spring onions, rehydrated wood ear mushroom strips, beni shoga (red pickled ginger), toasted sesame seeds, nori
Instructions
- Optional: soak the bones in cold water in the fridge for 2–12 hours.
- Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil and boil 10–15 minutes. Drain, scrub each bone clean of scum and clotted blood under running water, and wash the pot.
- Return the bones to the pot with 5 litres (5 quarts) cold water. Bring to a full rolling boil and keep it boiling hard, uncovered or lid ajar.
- Every 45–60 minutes, top up with boiling water to keep the bones covered and stir, scraping the bottom so nothing scorches. Skim foam in the first hour.
- Meanwhile, make the chashu: brown the tied belly all over, then simmer covered in the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, water, ginger and spring onions for 2–2 ½ hours, turning occasionally, until a skewer slides in easily. Cool in the liquid and chill overnight.
- Make the eggs: boil fridge-cold eggs 6 ½–7 minutes, chill in iced water, peel, and marinate 6–24 hours in 240 ml (1 cup) strained chashu liquid mixed with 120 ml (½ cup) water.
- Make the tare: soak the kombu in the soy sauce, mirin and sake for 30 minutes, heat until steaming without boiling, remove the kombu, add the katsuobushi off the heat, steep 10 minutes and strain.
- Make the black garlic oil: cook the garlic in the neutral oil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 10–15 minutes until evenly black. Off the heat add the sesame oil, cool slightly and blend smooth.
- Add the broth aromatics for the last hour. After 10–12 hours in total, let the broth reduce to about 2 litres (8 cups), until milky and spoon-coating. Strain through a fine sieve; blend 30 seconds with a stick blender if you like.
- To serve, bring the broth to a full boil. In each warmed bowl put 2 tbsp (30 ml) tare and 1 tsp black garlic oil, add 330 ml (1 ⅓ cups) broth and stir. Add well-drained, firm-cooked noodles and top with seared chashu slices, a halved egg and the other toppings.
Notes
- The broth must boil hard, not simmer, to turn milky. Never leave it boiling unattended or overnight; to split over two days, cool quickly in iced water, refrigerate, and return to a full boil the next day.
- Pressure cooker: 1.5 kg (3 ¼ lb) blanched, scrubbed bones in a 6-litre (6-quart) cooker, filled no more than about half full. High pressure 2 hours, natural release, then boil hard uncovered with the aromatics for 30–45 minutes until milky. About 3 ½ hours in total.
- Storage: broth 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen; tare 1 month refrigerated; black garlic oil 4 days refrigerated; chashu 5 days; marinated eggs 3 days.
- Do not salt the broth; season each bowl with tare.