Tonkotsu Ramen
Tonkotsu ramen comes from Hakata — now the Fukuoka railway district — where a bowl of milky pork-bone broth has been the working lunch since the 1940s. The whiteness is physics: keep the boil rolling for twelve hours and the collagen breaks down, emulsifying fat into the liquid and turning it opaque and silky. Tare goes into the bowl first, not the pot, so each serving can be adjusted independently. The noodles are thin and straight — designed to carry broth rather than trap it. Every topping occupies a specific zone: chashu at nine o'clock, marinated egg at three, nori standing upright at the rim.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Can be frozen
Great for meal prep
Slow simmered
Low and slow cooking
Overnight broth
Start the day before
Ingredients 2 servings
- 1.2kg pork marrow bones, blanched
- 300g fresh thin ramen noodles
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce (for tare)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 200g chashu pork belly, sliced 1cm thick
- 2 soft-boiled ramen eggs, halved
- 80g bamboo shoots (menma), drained
- 2 sheets nori, halved
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 30g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
How to make it
- 1Blanch pork bones in boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.
- 2Transfer to a large pot with 3L cold water, bring to a rolling boil and hold it there — not a simmer — for 10 to 12 hours, topping up with water as needed; the hard boil breaks down collagen and turns the broth white.
- 3Roll pork belly tightly, tie with kitchen string, sear all sides in a dry pan, then braise in 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and 100ml water on the lowest heat for 90 minutes; rest 20 minutes, slice 1cm thick.
- 4Make tare: 4 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp mirin, simmer 3 minutes, cool.
- 5Cook noodles per packet, drain.
- 6Spoon 2 tbsp tare into each bowl, ladle 400ml hot broth, then top with chashu slices, halved egg, bamboo shoots, nori and spring onion.
- 7Finish with sesame oil.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
