Engineering Tonkatsu Ramen (Recipe)

I know what most people imagine when thinking about ramen. Those little pucks of noodles that we all eat to get through hard times.

This is not that kind of ramen. This is a laborious adventure of meat and flavor.

I have searched the internet far and wide, and didn't find a recipe that reminds me of this wonderful ramen restaurant off of the 101 in San Mateo when we went to the SF Bay Area Maker Faire.

I know this likely isn't authentic, but it has flavor, oh so much flavor. It's as close as I could get to the various ramen I have tried.

This recipe also makes a LOT. Typically 6 huge bowls of Ramen. It should be easy to halve.

Tonkotsu Ramen Recipe

 Tonkotsu Base Broth (makes 10-12 cups of stock):

• 5-6 pounds pork leg bone (cut into several pieces)
• Or 5-6lbs pork neck bones
• Or 5-6lbs pork ribs with bone
• 1.5-2 pounds chicken bones or 2lbs chicken thighs
• 2 inch knob fresh ginger (sliced to 4-6mm)
• 6-8 pieces garlic (whole)
• 1 large white onion (sliced to 4-6mm)
• 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns

Noodles and Toppings:

• shiitake mushrooms
• baby bok choy or napa cabbage
• green onions
• marinated egg
• chashu pork (Link: https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemad-chashu/ )
• spicy miso paste (red miso + chili sauce, etc. see below)
• Anything you like! (corn, black garlic, nori, enoki mushrooms, etc.)

Note: The first steps of boiling and rinsing the meat removes most of the blood, which can be bitter or off-putting.

1. Using a large stockpot add the meat and add water to cover. Bring the water to a Boil for 10 minutes.
2. Drain and Rinse the meat. Return the meat to the pot and cover with water.
3. Boil the meat again for 5 minutes, drain water and rinse the meat and put the meat aside.
4. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pot and cook onions, ginger, and garlic on medium heat until onions are brown, stirring often This can take a long time, up to an hour and you will need to stir at least every few minutes. Don't worry if a little bit gets pretty dark, that's flavor.
5. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
6. Add more oil as needed and sear the meat until a golden brown sear.
7. Return vegetables to pot, add white peppercorns, and add filtered water to cover about an inch. Bring to boil on the stove top while preheating the oven to 300F.
8. After bringing the pot to a boil cover the pot and put it in the oven.
9. Cook covered for 12-24 hours. The meat will fall off the bones and the bones will crumble when squeezed. Filter the broth. Meat can be used for carnitas or pulled pork but may lack some flavor. Alternatively you can roast it in the oven until browned and dry and then make a lesser broth. I very often will make a second broth, there is still some flavor left!
10. Cool the broth and salt to taste. Typically the broth is slightly salty. My secret to a good broth is to blend the broth with the fat. I use a blender after the broth has cooled. It becomes a milky color and becomes really creamy and even more delicious. Some recipes use the bone in the blender but it can make it grainy or change the flavor; I tried it and don't recommend it.

The broth can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Assembling the ramen:

1. For the noodles, I like either Hakubaku Organic Ramen, or Hime Japanese Dried Ramen. Fresh would be great but it's not easy to find. Simply follow the directions on the package.
2. For spicy miso paste: I mix Sriracha, Yeos chili sauce, gochujang, and red miso paste. About 30-50% of the mixture is miso paste. You can use your favorite chili sauce and just mix it with the miso to taste.
3. Toppings I enjoy are shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy or napa cabbage, green onions, marinated egg, and chashu pork. I blanch the Bok Choy or Napa Cabbage in boiling water for about a minute. I typically wash the Shiitake mushrooms, cut the stems, and boil them in the broth for about 8 minutes.
4. The Chashu pork I like to make is this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemad-chashu/ We use the same marinade on hard boiled eggs. Cook this the day before, put it in the refrigerator and marinate a few eggs.
5. To cook the eggs, I like to use Alton Browns method. Put the eggs in an electric kettle and set it to boil. Once it has shut off, set a timer for 6-7 minutes. Remove the eggs and place into ice water. Peel and place eggs with the cooled Chashu pork marinade overnight.
6. When ready to serve, heat the broth back up to a low simmer.

There are lots of different topping out there. I've done fried tofu, corn, blackened garlic, and all sorts of mushrooms. Do what you like!

Boiling the meat:

Sauteing the vegetables:

More pictures to come!