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Tonkotsu Ramen
The creamiest ramen on earth — a 6-hour boiled pork bone broth that turns milky white and rich with collagen.
30 mins
360 mins
4 people
Japanese (Hakata)
Pork trotters and neck bones
2kg
Water
3L
Ginger
Sliced
3 inches
Spring onions
4
Pork belly
For chashu
400g
Soy sauce
For chashu and tare
4 tbsp
Mirin
3 tbsp
Sake
3 tbsp
Sugar
2 tbsp
Ramen noodles (thin, straight)
300g
Soft boiled eggs (ajitsuke tamago)
4
Nori
4 sheets
Bamboo shoots
100g
Sesame seeds
2 tbsp
🍽️ 6+ hour commercial boil
→ Pressure cooker reduces to 2 hours
Pressure cooking creates the same milky collagen extraction
Blanch bones 15 minutes, drain, scrub off grey matter. Rinse thoroughly.
💡 Pro Tip: Cleaning the bones properly is the work that creates clean-tasting white broth.
BOIL (not simmer) bones vigorously in 3L fresh water with ginger and spring onion for 4-6 hours.
💡 Pro Tip: The rolling boil is what creates the white, creamy tonkotsu — it emulsifies the fat and collagen. Simmering makes clear broth.
Make chashu: roll pork belly tightly, tie with string. Braise in soy, mirin, sake, sugar for 1.5 hours.
💡 Pro Tip: Rolling and tying creates rounds that slice beautifully.
Make tare: reduce chashu braising liquid until thick and syrupy.
💡 Pro Tip: Tare is the seasoning concentrate — 2-3 tbsp goes into each bowl before adding broth.
Assemble: tare in bowl → hot broth → noodles → sliced chashu, egg, bamboo shoots, nori, sesame.
💡 Pro Tip: Tare goes in the bowl FIRST — then hot broth is ladled over it to allow the patron to mix.
- ✓BOIL vigorously — not simmer. This creates the white emulsified broth
- ✓Start with cold water after blanching bones
- ✓Tare goes in the bowl first
- ✓Noodles for tonkotsu are thin and straight — not wavy
- →With extra chashu
- →With toasted garlic oil (mayu)
- →With extra spicy tare