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Tonkotsu Ramen

Traditional Japanese tonkotsu ramen featuring a rich, creamy pork bone broth seasoned with seafood-based shio tare. Thin ramen noodles are topped with tender chashu pork, marinated soft-boiled eggs, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and nori, finished with a fragrant pork aromatic oil.

Prep: 10 hr
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total: 11 hr 15 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: intermediate

Russell Toris@russelltoris

Comfort Food

Ingredients

4Servings

For the tare

2 g Dried Scallops
2 g Dried Fish Maw
2 g Dried Sardines
1 pc Kombu, a small piece, rausu if available
150 ml Water
20 g Fine Sea Salt, as need to make 20% of the extracted dashi's weight
¼ tsp Rice Vinegar

For the pork aromatic oil

2 tbsp Lard
4 tsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic, minced
¼ tsp Bonito Powder, made from finely ground dried bonito flakes

For the ramen & toppings

6 cup sub-recipe:Tonkotsu Ramen Broth
500 g Ramen Noodles, fresh noodles if available
8 slice sub-recipe:Chashu Pork
4 whole sub-recipe:Ajitama
80 g Wood Ear Mushrooms
4 pc Scallion, finely sliced
4 pc Nori
¼ cup Menma (optional)

Method

Infuse the Seafood Shio Tare

Combine the dried scallops, fish maw, cleaned dried sardines, Rausu kombu, and cold water in a nonreactive container. Cover and refrigerate overnight for 8–12 hours to extract the seafood's natural umami.

Finish the Shio Tare

Transfer the infused seafood and liquid to a small saucepan. Warm gently over very low heat for approximately 1 hour, keeping the liquid below a simmer. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and weigh the extracted dashi. Add fine sea salt at a ratio of 1 part salt to 5 parts dashi by weight (for example, 20 g salt for 100 g dashi). Stir gently over low heat until dissolved, then add the rice vinegar. Set aside. The finished tare should taste intensely salty and savory; it is a concentrate, not a broth to drink on its own.

Prepare the Pork Aromatic Oil

Combine the rendered pork lard and neutral oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chopped scallions and garlic, and gently heat until fragrant and lightly golden, approximately 5–8 minutes, without scorching. Stir in the bonito powder, remove from the heat, and allow to infuse for several minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve the aromatic oil.

Prepare the Toppings

Rehydrate the dried wood ear mushrooms according to their package instructions, cook thoroughly, drain, and slice into thin strips. Finely slice the scallions and prepare the nori and optional menma. Have the freshly cooked, rested, and sliced chashu ready for serving. Halve the marinated eggs just before assembly.

Heat the Tonkotsu Broth

Bring the tonkotsu broth to a vigorous simmer in a saucepan, stirring or whisking to distribute the natural emulsified pork fat evenly. Keep the broth very hot while preparing the noodles.

Season the Ramen Bowls

Add approximately 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of seafood shio tare and 1 teaspoon of pork aromatic oil to each of four warmed ramen bowls. Ladle approximately 350 mL of hot tonkotsu broth into each bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the tare in small increments if additional seasoning is needed. Adjust the aromatic oil to taste.

Cook the Ramen Noodles

Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a vigorous boil. Cook the fresh ramen noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions, preferably to a firm texture. Thin Hakata-style noodles generally cook quickly. Drain immediately and shake off excess water thoroughly to avoid diluting the seasoned broth.

Assemble and Serve

Divide the drained noodles among the prepared bowls. Arrange 2–3 slices of chashu pork over each portion, followed by one halved ajitama, sliced wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and a sheet of nori. Add the optional menma if desired. Serve immediately while the broth is hot and the noodles retain their firm texture.