Tonkotsu Ramen
The real Hakata-style bowl at home: a milky, emulsified pork broth built on a rolling boil, springy noodles, chashu pork, jammy eggs and nori, made patiently in one honest day.
Peek at the ingredients
Ingredients 12 ingredients
- 3 lb pork trotters, split
- 2 lb pork neck bones
- 1 whole chicken carcass
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 4 oz ginger, sliced
- 6 green onions
- 2 packs fresh ramen noodles (about 14 oz)
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- Nori sheets and extra green onions, to serve
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Method
- 1
Cover the trotters, bones and carcass with water, boil hard for 10 minutes, then drain and scrub every piece clean under running water. This keeps the broth sweet, not funky.
- 2
Return the pork and chicken to a clean pot with the onion, garlic, ginger and green onions. Cover with water, bring to a rolling boil, and keep it bubbling hard for at least 4 hours and up to 12, topping up the water as it drops; the longer it goes, the richer and milkier the bowl.
- 3
In the last hour, simmer a rolled piece of pork belly in the broth if you like chashu; lift it out and rest it in the soy sauce and mirin while it cools.
- 4
Boil the eggs for 6 1/2 minutes, chill in iced water, peel, and halve just before serving.
- 5
Strain the broth, pressing the solids well. Season with salt a little at a time until it tastes round and savory. Keep at a bare simmer.
- 6
Cook the noodles in a separate large pot of boiling water until just springy, about 2 minutes for fresh noodles. Drain well.
- 7
Divide the noodles among warm bowls. Ladle over the broth, arrange the chashu or sliced pork, egg halves, nori and green onions, and serve immediately.
