Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen
This is a doozy, not recommended for the faint of heart. This is a mixture of a few recipes to create a very complex bowl that has the best elements of cloudy rich tonkotsu with the clean salty shoyu.
Ingredients
Instructions
Soak Kombu: Soak kombu in 240g water so it softens during the next steps
Pork Stock: In a pressure cooker, combine water, spare ribs, pig's foot, ground pork, garlic bulb, and ginger. Bring to a boil, skim scum if necessary, seal, and pressure cook at 2 bars for 1 hour or Instant Pot on high for 1.5hrs.
Chicken Stock: Release pressure. Remove pork bones and strain broth. Add chicken wings. Bring back to boil, seal, and pressure cook at 2 bars for 1 hour or Instant Pot on high for 1.5hrs.
Steep Aromatics: Release pressure. Add onion, scallions, ginger, crushed garlic, and kombu and steeping liquid (swish kombu around in the broth to remove slime). Add Napa cabbage last. Steep for 45 minutes.
Strain & Chill: Strain through cheesecloth. You should have 4L. Chill overnight until the fat cap solidifies.
Separate Fat: Remove the solid fat cap and save it for the "Aromatic Fat" step. This finishes the cloudy pork/chicken stock steps.
Clarify (Consommé): Take 2L of the stock for clarification. In a food processor or blender, Blend 500g cubed chicken breast with 2L of stock to make a smoothie consistency (gross).
Pour smoothie into pot and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to prevent burning or browning of chicken. As it boils, a "raft" of meat will form at the top, trapping impurities.
Reduce heat and maintain a simmer.
Poke a hole in the center of the raft and ladle stock over the edges of the raft. Simmer and ladle for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, strain carefully through cheesecloth and discard impurities. This finishes the clarified stock steps.
Dashi: Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add Kombu and Bonito flakes. Steep for about 10min and then strain.
You now have three components: the broth should be a combination of 3 parts cloudy pork/chicken stock, 3 parts clarified stock, and 1 part Dashi stock for the final soup base
Shoyu Tare: Heat water, soy, sake, mirin, and mushroom to just below simmer. Add sugar, stir to dissolve, and keep just below simmer for 5 minutes to cook off alcohol
Add kombu, bonito flakes and remove from heat. Let it steep for 5min. Strain, store refrigerated for up to 6 months. Tare improves with age. We now have all the components needed for the broth.
12-24hrs Chashu (Roast Pork Belly): Cure: Mix salt and brown sugar. Rub evenly over pork. Cure in fridge for 8–24 hours.
Rinse off the cure and pat dry. Roast on a rack at 300°F (150°C) convection (or 325°F non-convection) for 2–3 hours, until internal temp reaches 195°F–200°F.
Chill belly for about 20 mins until easy to handle. Place in a bag with a splash of soy sauce and mirin. Chill in fridge for at least 8 hours, weighed down (fat side down) to flatten it for easier slicing.
Assemble your bowl of ramen: boil some water for your noodles and warm your serving bowls. To your warm bowl, add: 30 ml Tare Pinch of white pepper Pinch of finely diced onion 30 ml Aromatic Fat 350 ml Hot Stock Blend Cooked and drained noodles top with slices of Chashu (seared to warm up if desired), blanched spinach, soft-boiled marinated egg, sliced scallion, and a sheet of Nori
