Name: Tonkotsu Ramen
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 255 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1500 g pork neck bones (rinsed); 500 g pork trotters (split by the butcher if possible, rinsed); 500 g pork shoulder (tied into a compact cylinder); 3000 ml Water (plus more for blanching); 8 cloves Garlic (peeled and lightly crushed); 60 g ginger (sliced); 1 piece yellow onion (quartered, peel left on); 80 ml soy sauce (for the tare); 40 ml mirin (for the tare); 4 pieces Egg (at room temperature); 600 g ramen noodles (fresh or frozen); 4 stalks green onion (thinly sliced); 4 slices nori (smaller sheets if desired)

How to prepare

Place the pork neck bones and trotters in a large pot, cover generously with water, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse away the gray foam, and scrub the bones and pot clean; this blanching step keeps the final broth focused and clean.

Transfer the cleaned bones and trotters to a pressure cooker with 3 liters of fresh water. Add the pork shoulder, garlic, ginger, and onion. Seal and cook at high pressure for 90 minutes, then allow a natural release for 20 minutes.

Remove the pork shoulder and verify it is fully cooked by checking that the center reaches at least 63°C followed by a 3-minute rest, with no raw-looking center, before cooling it briefly and refrigerating it covered. Strain the broth, discard the solids, and return the liquid to the cleaned pot. Simmer uncovered over medium-high heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until opaque, creamy, and reduced to about 2 liters.

Opaque creamy tonkotsu broth simmering in a pot

AI-generated image

While the broth reduces, combine the soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan. Bring to a brief simmer for 2 minutes, then cool; this is the tare used to season each bowl.

Use pasteurized eggs. Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil, lower in the eggs, and cook for 7 minutes, stirring gently during the first minute for centered yolks. Transfer them to ice water, cool completely, peel, and halve just before serving.

Slice the chilled pork shoulder into 8 thin pieces. Warm a skillet over medium heat and sear the slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly browned and heated through; verify the thickest slice reaches 74°C at the center before serving.

Cook the ramen noodles in a separate pot of boiling water according to their package timing, usually 1 to 3 minutes, until springy but tender. Drain thoroughly and divide among four warmed bowls.

Add 20 ml of tare to each bowl and ladle in about 500 ml of the hot broth. Toss the noodles gently to season them, then top each bowl with pork, a halved egg, sliced green onion, and nori. Serve immediately while the broth is steaming.

Finished tonkotsu ramen with pork, egg, scallions, and nori

AI-generated image

Why this recipe works

Pressure cooking extracts gelatin and pork flavor efficiently, while a vigorous uncovered simmer emulsifies fat into the broth for tonkotsu's characteristic creamy texture. Separate noodle cooking keeps each bowl balanced rather than starchy.

Storage and reheating

How to store it

Store broth, pork, eggs, and toppings separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Chill the broth promptly and remove any solidified fat only if a lighter bowl is desired.

How to reheat it

Reheat the broth in a saucepan until steaming hot, reaching at least 74°C if reheating leftovers. Warm the pork in the broth briefly, cook fresh noodles separately, and assemble just before serving.