STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I went to Japan with a friend to attend her son’s graduation ceremony in 2015. He brought us to a very famous Ramen Shop in Osaka which is just opposite the hotel we stayed. It was superbly good that no words can describe the soup which is rich in taste and so thick that it makes you just want to slurp every last drop of the yummy broth. It was one of the most satisfying meals we had in Japan during this trip.
As usual, whenever I taste something really good, I will always try to cook it for my family. Since I could not ‘ta pau’ home, I try to replicate, having registered the texture and taste in my memory. More reason for me so to whip this dish up because one of my Japanese friends personally hand-carried freshly made Ramen and Soba for me from Tokyo!
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TRICK OF THE TRADE
If you want to make this dish from scratch, make sure you prepare the Tonkotsu Pork Bone Ramen Broth in advance, which you can store in the freezer. But if you can’t afford the time, then use the ready made pork bone broth concentrate that come with packets of fresh Ramen from Japanese supermarkets. I prefer to make my own stock where possible, because I am allergic to MSG.
For the Ramen Eggs (Japanese Soft Boiled Eggs), its best to prepare them the night before to allow the flavours of the sauces to penetrate the egg. Make sure you are using eggs which are about a week old, as fresh eggs can be really difficult to peel cleanly after cooking. The eggs are very delicate, so be sure to peel carefully! To cut the eggs, you can either use nylon thread / fishing line to neatly slice the egg into two.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- The umami taste of the soup !
- It has no MSG. I am allergic to MSG, so this homemade broth is great for me!
HOW TO MAKE TONKOTSU RAMEN?
PREPARATION FOR JAPANESE PORK BELLY CHASHU
Clean the pork belly by rubbing all over with coarse salt to remove dirt, then wash thoroughly.
Pat dry and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp fine salt on the pork belly on both sides
- Remove the skin of the ginger and slice the ginger
- Cut the leeks into 1 1/2″ lengthwise
Then, cut the green onion into big chunks.
COOKING FOR PORK BELLY CHASHU
Heat up the skillet and place the pork belly skin down on a pan for about 10-15 mins till brown
Turn the pork over for another 5 mins. and turn off the heat. The skin should be nicely browned.
Place the pork belly skin down in the pan. Add the 3 cups of water, leek, ginger and onion and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
Next add in the sugar, light soya and then the sake, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, transfer the pork mixture into a pot. Lower the heat and cover the pot, then let it slowly simmer for about 4 hrs, turning the pork occasionally. By the time the pork belly is done, the water should have dried up and you should be able to see the bottom of the pot.
Remove the pork belly onto a plate and cut into slices, but not too thin nor too thick
PREPARATION FOR TONKOTSU RAMEN (to be prepared while Chashu is simmering)
Prepare the ramen eggs using this Japanese Soft-Boiled Egg recipe. (Tip: You can also prepare this one day before for a more intense flavour). Once the ramen eggs are done, cut the ramen eggs into half.
Take out and defrost the pre-prepared Tonkotsu Pork Bone Broth (see recipe here). If you prefer, you can also use the ready-made versions that come with the Ramen packets.
Soak the black fungus in a bowl of cold tap water for 30 mins. Then wash and cut it into thin strips.
Wash the spring onion and cut into small pieces.
(Optional) Pluck the bean sprouts at both ends.
(Optional) Cut the fish cake into thin slices and set aside.
COOKING TONKOTSU RAMEN
(Optional) Put the bean sprouts in a pot of cold tap water and boil. Once the water is boiling, leave it there for another 2-3 mins. Quickly remove and drain off the water. Run it under the tap for a minute to stop the cooking process. Remove and place in a bowl and set aside.
In a big pot, bring the pork bone broth to a boil.
- In another big pot bring the water to a boil. Once boiling put the fresh ramen into the boiling water and cook for about 5 mins. Once cooked, place the cooked ramen into a bowl.
- When ready to serve, pour the pork broth onto the noodle.
Garnish the noodles with the black fungus, ramen egg, chashu, spring onion bean sprout (optional) and fish cake (optional), and serve hot.
MARKETING TIPS
- Buy fresh ramen with pre-packed pork bone broth concentrate from Japanese supermarkets like Meidi-Ya.
COOKING TIPS
- Remember that the most important part of the Ramen is the pork bone broth. Even though the pork bone broth needs to be prepared a day in advance, it is well worth the effort to take this extra step.
- Save time for the beansprouts by plucking off just the head and not the roots of the beansprouts if you are not too fussy about it.
- Prepare the eggs the night before so that they have more time to sit into the sauce.
- Prepare the Chashu in advance and store in the freezer, which will come in handy for a quick ramen meal for busy days.
ADJUSTMENTS TIPS
- The cooking time for the ramen depends on how you want to be done. I prefer the ramen texture to be more bouncy. For softer texture, you will need to cook it a little longer than recommended in my recipe.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Egg-Free: Skip the Ramen eggs
- Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
- Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
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Japanese Tonkotsu Ramen with Pork Belly Chashu
Ingredients
For Japanese Pork Belly Chashu
- 1 kg Pork Belly
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 inch length Ginger
- 2 Leeks
- 1 Green Onion
- 3 cups Water
- 1/2 cup Sake
- 1/2 cup Shoyu (Japanese Soya Sauce)
- 6 tbsp Sugar
For Tonkotsu Ramen
- 4 litres Pork Bone Soup Base Recipe link below
- 8 Japanese soft boiled eggs Recipe link below
- 20-30 Black Cloud Fungus Depending on the size
- 2 stalks Spring onion
- 200 g Bean Sprouts (Tow Gay) (Optional)
- 1 roll Japanese fish cake (small) (Optional)
Instructions
PREPARATION FOR JAPANESE PORK BELLY CHASHU
- Clean the pork belly by rubbing all over with coarse salt to remove dirt, then wash thoroughly.
- Pat dry and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp fine salt on the pork belly on both sides
- Remove the skin of the ginger and slice the ginger
- Cut the leeks into 1 1/2" lengthwise
- Then, cut the green onion into big chunks.
COOKING METHOD FOR PORK BELLY CHASHU
- Heat up the skillet and place the pork belly skin down on a pan for about 10-15 mins till brown
- Turn the pork over for another 5 mins. and turn off the heat. The skin should be nicely browned.
- Place the pork belly skin down in the pan. Add the 3 cups of water, leek, ginger and onion and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
- Next add in the sugar, light soya and then the sake, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, transfer the pork mixture into a pot. Lower the heat and cover the pot, then let it slowly simmer for about 4 hrs, turning the pork occasionally. By the time the pork belly is done, the water should have dried up and you should be able to see the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the pork belly onto a plate and cut into slices, but not too thin nor too thick
PREPARATION FOR TONKOTSU RAMEN (to be prepared while Chashu is simmering)
- Prepare the ramen eggs using this Japanese Soft-Boiled Egg recipe. (Tip: You can also prepare this one day before for a more intense flavour). Once the ramen eggs are done, cut the ramen eggs into half.
- Take out and defrost the pre-prepared Tonkotsu Pork Bone Broth (see recipe here). If you prefer, you can also use the ready-made versions that come with the Ramen packets.
- Soak the black fungus in a bowl of cold tap water for 30 mins. Then wash and cut it into thin strips.
- Wash the spring onion and cut into small pieces.
- (Optional) Pluck the bean sprouts at both ends.
- (Optional) Cut the fish cake into thin slices and set aside.
COOKING METHOD FOR TONKOTSU RAMEN
- (Optional) Put the bean sprouts in a pot of cold tap water and boil. Once the water is boiling, leave it there for another 2-3 mins. Quickly remove and drain off the water. Run it under the tap for a minute to stop the cooking process. Remove and place in a bowl and set aside.
- In a big pot, bring the pork bone broth to a boil.
- In another big pot bring the water to a boil. Once boiling put the fresh ramen into the boiling water and cook for about 5 mins. Once cooked, place the cooked ramen into a bowl.
- When ready to serve, pour the pork broth onto the noodle.
- Garnish the noodles with the black fungus, ramen egg, chashu, spring onion bean sprout (optional) and fish cake (optional), and serve hot.
Notes
MARKETING TIPS
- Buy fresh ramen with pre-packed pork bone broth concentrate from Japanese supermarkets like Meidi-Ya.
COOKING TIPS
- Remember that the most important part of the Ramen is the pork bone broth. Even though the pork bone broth needs to be prepared a day in advance, it is well worth the effort to take this extra step.
- Save time for the beansprouts by plucking off just the head and not the roots of the beansprouts if you are not too fussy about it.
- Prepare the eggs the night before so that they have more time to sit into the sauce.
- Prepare the Chashu in advance and store in the freezer, which will come in handy for a quick ramen meal for busy days.
ADJUSTMENTS TIPS
- The cooking time for the ramen depends on how you want to be done. I prefer the ramen texture to be more bouncy. For softer texture, you will need to cook it a little longer than recommended in my recipe.