Homemade Tonkotsu Ramen

Homemade Tonkotsu Ramen

Not your everyday cup of noodles

Difficulty: Hard

Cooking time: 13 hours 

Serves 14

There's nothing more perfect than a steaming hot bowl of ramen on a cold winter's day. Although you may think about reaching into the cupboard for a packet of instant ramen, we’ll  teach you how to make an authentic, soul-soothing bowl of Japanese ramen. (Believe it!) This is a great way to impress your friends on the weekend, if you’re willing to put the time into it. 

There are 5 components that separates ramen from your ordinary bowl of noodle soup. Noodles, Broth, Tare, Oil, and Toppings, these 5 things work together to make Ramen. The noodles have to be made in a special way with a specific water to flour ratio. The broth changes depending on the type of ramen but for tonkotsu, it is a creamy pork broth boiled for at least 12 hours. Tare is the seasoning of the ramen. This gives the ramen the depth of flavor that it is known for and distinguishes the types of ramen from each other. Oil adds a subtle richness and fattiness to the ramen and brings a 3rd dimension of flavor to the ramen and In the words of Alex, from French Guy Cooking, “Without oil, ramen is just boring soup”. Toppings the sprinkles on a cake. Extra decorations that you can eat! They aren’t necessarily important to the overall taste of ramen but they help make ramen feel more satisfying to eat.  

Beware! This recipe is not for beginners, as you’ll have to utilize many different culinary skills and techniques. However, worry not! This is a comprehensive guide to making every component from scratch. 

Food Dictionary:

• Chashu: Rolled and braised pork belly 

• Green Onion: Thinly sliced for crunch. Also used to help cut through the richness of the broth

• Mirin: Sweet Rice Wine

• Narutomaki (fishcake): thinly sliced fishcake, often with a decorative swirl.

• Nitamago (Marinated egg): A soft-boiled egg marinated in soy sauce and mirin. 

• Oil: The last component of ramen adds subtle richness and dimension of flavor to the soup. 

• Sake: Dry Rice Wine

• Tare: A super concentrated soup base that seasons the broth. 

• Tonkotsu Broth: A creamy broth boiled for at least 12 hours.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Noodles*

   1. 1 kg Bread Flour

   2. 400 g Water

   3. 2 tbsp Alkali Powder

2. Broth

   1. 10lbs Pork Bones (Feet and Neck)

   2. 1 White Onion

   3. 1 bunch (5 stalks) Green Onion

   4. 200 grams Ginger

   5. 2 gallons Water

3. Tare

   1. 1 packet (250 grams)Dried Anchovy

   2. 50g Bonito Flakes

   3. 1 medium piece dried Kombu

   4. 2 cups Soy Sauce

   5. 1/3 cup Mirin

   6. 2 tsp Sesame Oil 

   7. 1 bunch (5 stalks) Green Onion

   8. 10 cloves Garlic

   9. 200 grams Ginger

   10. 3 cups water

4. Garlic and Green Onion Sesame Oil

   1. ½ cup Seasame Oil

   2. ⅛ cup Vegetable Oil

   3. 10 cloves Garlic

   4. 2 stalks Green Onion

   5. 50 grams Ginger 

5. Toppings

   1. Chashu

      1. 5 lbs Pork Belly

      2. 2 cups Soy Sauce

      3. 1 1/2 cup Mirin 

      4. ½ cup sake 

      5. 1 cup Water

      6. 1 bunch (5 stalks) Green Onion

      7. 200 grams Ginger

   2. Nitamago:

      1. 14 Eggs

      2. 1 cup Soy

      3. 1 cup Mirin

   3. Narutomaki

   4. 3 bunches Green Onion

*Alternatively, you can buy premade noodles.

The Process: 

Noodles: 

1. Take 2 tablespoons of your alkaline powder (baked baking soda) and mix it into 100 grams of water. 

2. Measure 1 kilogram of bread flour (you can sub with AP flour and gluten) in the bowl of a stand mixer and incorporate the 100 grams of alkaline water. Then slowly incorporate another 300 grams of water until the dough is lightly hydrated. 

   1. Ramen noodle dough should be very dry for a pasta dough and should be about a 40% hydration. 

3. Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

4. Seperate the dough into equal sized pieces which should be 100 grams in weight each. 

5. Laminate through a pasta roller (hand cranked or stand mixer attachment) and continue laminating until the dough is smooth and tacky. 

   1. For the first few laminations, the dough should come out very rough and shaggy, but just keep laminating and eventually this process will make the dough nice and smooth.

6. Continue rolling the noodles through the roller on each setting until you reach the end. Alternatively if you want a thicker noodle you can stop at notch 2 or 3. 

7. Cut the noodles on the thinnest width, dust with more flour and twirl into a nest. 

8. These noodles can stay in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months

9. To cook, drop into a pot of boiling water and stir to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. Cook the noodles for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the desired texture is achieved.

   1. If you like your ramen noodles firmer cook for a shorter amount of time and vice versa.

Broth:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in 10 lbs of pork bones (feet and neck bones work the best)

2. Boil for 10 minutes then drain into a clean sink or colander. 

3. Clean the bones of any scum and blood

4. Return the bones to the pot and cover with water till it comes about 3 inches above the bones. 

5. Add desired aromatics such as, green onion, white onion, ginger.

6. Bring the water to a boil and continue to boil for 12 hours.

   1. Make sure to replenish the water levels every couple of hours and stir every 30 minutes. 

Tare:

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add a medium piece of kombu and simmer for 15 minutes

2. Remove the kombu and add 50 grams of dried bonito flakes and steep for 1 hour 

3. Strain the bonito flakes and reduce until you have 1 cup of liquid and set aside.

4. In a new pan heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and add 1 package of dried anchovies with its head and guts removed. 

5. Cook for about 5 minutes allowing a fond to form on the bottom of the pan and deglaze with 1/3rd cup of mirin. 

6. Add 2 cups of soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic 1 bunch of green onions, 10 slices of ginger and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

7. Strain both liquids and combine

8. Taste for seasoning

   1. If it needs to be more concentrated you can reduce the Tare even more or add more salt.

Garlic and Sesame Oil

1. In a saucepan add 1/8th cup of vegetable oil and ½ cup of sesame oil cook on medium low heat

2. add 10 cloves of whole garlic, 2 stalks of green onions and 2 slices of ginger. 

3. Cook on medium low heat till the garlic, green onion and ginger turn a dark brown

4. Strain and set aside

   1. Alternatively you can cook it until they turn black, blitz in a high power blender and the strain for “black garlic oil”

Chashu:

1. Roll a 5 lbs cut of pork belly into the shape of a roast and tie to even out the shape. 

2. In a large oven safe dish add 2 cups of soy sauce, 1 ½ cups of mirin, ½ cup of sake, 1 cup of water, 1 bunch of Green onions whites, and 10 slices of ginger. 

3. Put the pork belly into the pot and cover with a lid

4. Braise the pork belly in the oven for 2.5 hours at 300 degrees fahrenheit

   1. Flip the pork belly every 30 minutes inorder to make sure it browns evenly

5. Remove from braising liquid at the end of cooking and chill in the fridge until use. 

6. Slice the pork belly and reheat in the soup.

Nitamago

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 14 large brown eggs 

2. Cook for 6 minutes and 30 seconds 

3. Remove the eggs and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking

4. Peel the eggs and cover in equal parts soy sauce and mirin. 

5. Submerge the eggs and marinade for at least 4 hours.