Tonkotsu Ramen

Ingredients

• 1.5kg pork trotters and neck or femur bones, cut (ask your butcher)
• 1 whole head garlic, halved
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 knob ginger, sliced
• 4-5 liters water, plus more to top up
• 400g fresh ramen noodles (thin, straight, low-hydration wheat noodles)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (tare base)
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 4 chicken thighs or 300g pork belly, for chashu (optional, braised separately)
• 2 soft-boiled eggs, halved, marinated in soy sauce overnight (ajitama)
• Sliced scallions, wood ear or bamboo shoots (menma), and toasted nori, to garnish
• Sesame oil, a few drops per bowl

Steps

1. Parboil the pork bones in a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes to release impurities, then drain and rinse the bones and pot thoroughly under running water, scrubbing off any scum.
2. Return the cleaned bones to the pot with fresh water, garlic, onion, and ginger. Bring to a full, rolling boil (not a gentle simmer) and keep it boiling hard, uncovered, topping up water as it evaporates, for 12-18 hours, until the broth turns opaque and milky white.
3. Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and season to taste with salt.
4. For the tare, combine soy sauce, mirin, and sake in a small saucepan and simmer briefly to cook off the alcohol.
5. Cook the ramen noodles in a separate pot of boiling water according to package directions (usually 60-90 seconds for thin noodles); drain well.
6. Spoon a few tablespoons of tare into each bowl, ladle in the hot tonkotsu broth, and stir to combine.
7. Add the drained noodles, then top with sliced chashu, a halved ajitama egg, scallions, menma, and a drizzle of sesame oil.