Tonkotsu Ramen

Name: Tonkotsu Ramen
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 kg Pork Neck Bones, or leg bones, cut, preferably with some marrow; 1 kg Pork Trotter, split; 300g Pork Back Fat, fatback; 6.5 l Water, to cover; more as needed during boiling; 200ml Soy Sauce; 100ml Mirin; 100ml Sake; 100ml Water; 10g Kombu; 20g Katsuobushi, bonito flakes; 1 tsp Sugar; 800g Pork Belly, rolled and tied; 200ml Soy Sauce; 200ml Sake; 150ml Mirin; 200ml Water; 3 tbsp Sugar; 1 knob of Ginger, sliced; 4 cloves of Garlic, crushed; 2 Scallions, green onions, cut into 5 cm pieces; 4 large Eggs; 4 servings of Ramen Noodles, fresh, thin, straight; about 120 g each; 4 Scallions, green onions, finely sliced; 120g Menma, seasoned bamboo shoots; 4 sheets of Nori, halved; 40g Wood Ear Mushrooms, dried, kikurage; soaked and thinly sliced; or 120 g fresh; 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds

Silky, deeply savory Tonkotsu Ramen with a rich, milky pork broth and tender braised chashu — this bowl balances indulgent pork flavor with bright, umami notes and crisp toppings. Long-simmered bones yield a creamy broth that clings to springy ramen noodles, while marinated eggs, menma, nori and sesame add texture and contrast. It’s a comforting, restaurant-quality ramen you can make at home with some patience and care.

Silky, deeply savory Tonkotsu Ramen with a rich, milky pork broth and tender braised chashu — this bowl balances indulgent pork fl... Show more

Traditional Japanese Recipe

Health Grade

D · Occasional

Rating

4.8

Time

4 hrs

Price

2,46 €

Calories

717 kcal

meal prep

low carb

keto

low sugar

Method

Blanch the bones

If the Pork Back Fat is in one large slab, cut it into a few big chunks so it renders more easily. Put the Pork Neck Bones, Pork Trotter, and fatback into a large stockpot and pour in enough Water to cover by a few inches. Bring to a full boil over high heat, then boil hard for 10 minutes to pull out blood and impurities; the liquid will turn gray and foamy, which is exactly what you want at this stage.

Scrub everything clean

Drain the pot completely, then rinse the bones, trotter, and fatback under running water and scrub away any dark bits or clinging scum. Wash the pot too before you continue, because a clean pot gives you a cleaner-tasting broth.

Boil the broth

Return the cleaned bones, trotter, and fatback to the pot and add fresh water to cover generously. Bring it back to a fierce boil, then keep it at a strong rolling boil for 8 to 12 hours, topping up with more water whenever the solids start peeking above the surface. The broth should gradually become creamy, opaque, and full-bodied as the collagen and fat emulsify.

Make the tare

In a small saucepan, combine the Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake, 100 ml more water, Kombu, and Sugar. Heat over medium until it is just at the edge of a simmer, hold it there for 10 minutes without letting it boil hard, then take it off the heat, stir in the Katsuobushi, and let it steep for 10 minutes more. Strain out the solids and set the tare aside; it should taste intentionally strong and salty, because it will season the broth in the bowl.

Prep the chashu

If your Pork Belly is not already rolled, roll it into a tight log and tie it snugly with kitchen twine so it holds its shape while braising. Slice the Ginger, crush the Garlic, and cut the Scallion into 5 cm lengths so all the aromatics are ready to go.

Braise the chashu

Put the rolled pork belly in a saucepan or small pot with 200 ml soy sauce, 200 ml sake, 150 ml mirin, 200 ml water, 3 tablespoons sugar, the ginger, garlic, and scallion pieces. Add a little extra water if needed so the liquid comes at least two-thirds of the way up the meat, bring to a gentle simmer, then partially cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, turning the pork every 20 to 30 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily and the outside looks glossy and mahogany-colored.

Rest and reserve

Lift the pork belly out of the braising liquid and let it rest until cool enough to handle. Strain and reserve the braising liquid; you'll use some for the eggs, and a spoonful can be brushed over the sliced chashu later if you want extra shine and flavor.

Cook the eggs

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, lower in the Eggs carefully, and cook them for 7 minutes for jammy centers. Drain them and chill under very cold running water, or in a bowl of ice water, until cool enough to peel neatly.

Marinate the eggs

Peel the eggs and slip them into enough cooled chashu braising liquid to coat or mostly submerge them; a zip-top bag works especially well if you want to use less liquid. Marinate for at least 1 hour, turning once or twice if they are not fully covered, until the outsides are lightly bronze and savory.

Soak the mushrooms

Cover the Wood Ear Mushrooms with warm water and let them soak for 20 minutes, or until fully pliable. Drain well, trim away any hard stem ends, and slice them thinly; if you're using fresh wood ears instead, just trim and slice them.

Prep the toppings

Finely slice the remaining scallions for garnish, portion the Menma, and halve the Nori sheets so each bowl gets a neat piece ready to tuck against the rim. Slice the rested chashu into thin rounds or half-moons, depending on how large your roll is.

Strain the broth

When the tonkotsu broth tastes deeply porky and looks creamy white, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly on the softened fatback to capture the rich liquid but not forcing grit through. Keep the strained broth hot over low heat; if it looks slightly separated, a good whisking or a minute of hard boiling will pull it back together.

Cook the noodles

Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil and cook the Ramen Noodles just until springy, usually 1 to 2 minutes for fresh thin noodles. Stir once right at the beginning so they do not clump, then drain well immediately; ramen noodles are best the second they are ready.

Build the bowls

For 4 bowls, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tare to each warm serving bowl, then ladle in about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of hot tonkotsu broth and taste one before filling the rest; you want it savory and rounded, not harshly salty. Add the noodles, then top with sliced chashu, halved marinated eggs, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, menma, a piece of nori, and a sprinkle of Toasted Sesame Seeds. Serve right away while the noodles are bouncy and the broth is steaming, and refrigerate or freeze the extra broth, tare, and chashu for future bowls.

Ingredients

Method

For 12 servings

Adjust servings

For the tonkotsu broth

2 kg Pork Neck Bones, or leg bones, cut, preferably with some marrow
1 kg Pork Trotter, split
300g Pork Back Fat, fatback
6.5 l Water, to cover; more as needed during boiling

For the shoyu tare (seasoning base)

200ml Soy Sauce
100ml Mirin
100ml Sake
100ml Water
10g Kombu
20g Katsuobushi, bonito flakes
1 tsp Sugar

For the chashu pork belly

800g Pork Belly, rolled and tied
200ml Soy Sauce
200ml Sake
150ml Mirin
200ml Water
3 tbsp Sugar
1 knob of Ginger, sliced
4 cloves of Garlic, crushed
2 Scallions, green onions, cut into 5 cm pieces

For the ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago)

4 large Eggs

Noodles and garnishes

4 servings of Ramen Noodles, fresh, thin, straight; about 120 g each
4 Scallions, green onions, finely sliced
120g Menma, seasoned bamboo shoots
4 sheets of Nori, halved
40g Wood Ear Mushrooms, dried, kikurage; soaked and thinly sliced; or 120 g fresh
2 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds

🧈 Plus ~12g of fat

🧂 Plus ~8g of salt

Nutrition

Per Serving.

Calories

717 kcal

36% of Daily kcal

Protein

28 g

56% RDI

Fat

52 g

20g sat fat

Carbs

33 g

12% RDI

Sugar

9.5 g

19% RDI

Fiber

3.3 g

11% RDI

Salt

3.3 g

66% RDI

Quality Profile

Scored against dietary guidelines.
Tap rows for a deeper breakdown.

Composite score - weighted by current nutrition science

D · 4.8 / 10

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