Home-style shoyu ramen with chashu

Method

1. 01

   Prepare the pork

   Pat the 500 g pork dry and tie it into a compact log if using shoulder or belly. Leave the surface intact so it slices into two thick chashu pieces per bowl.

   

2. 02

   Sear the chashu

   Heat the 15 ml neutral oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown every side of the pork for 6–8 minutes, then remove it; searing builds colour without pretending to make a long-cooked tonkotsu broth.

   

3. 03

   Braise until safe and tender

   Add 750 ml water, 120 ml chashu soy sauce, 60 ml sake, 60 ml mirin, 20 g sugar, ginger and braising scallions to the pot. Return the pork, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, turning twice, until tender and the centre reaches at least 71°C.

   

4. 04

   Cool and slice the pork

   Move the pork to a tray and cool it for 10 minutes. Remove the string and slice across the grain into eight thick pieces. Strain and discard the braising liquid; it is not part of the separate ramen tare.

   

5. 05

   Make the soy tare

   Warm 120 ml tare soy sauce, 30 ml tare mirin, 10 g tare sugar and 5 g kombu over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the kombu before it boils and cool the concentrated tare; do not use a packet seasoning.

   

6. 06

   Heat the chicken stock

   Heat the 1.2 L unsalted chicken stock over medium-low heat to 85–90°C. Whisk in all 150 ml of the cooled tare, using 37.5 ml per bowl, and taste the finished broth; hold it around 80–85°C without a hard boil.

   

7. 07

   Boil the ramen noodles

   Bring the full 3 L noodle water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Cook the four fresh ramen portions for 2–3 minutes, or to the package timing, until fully cooked with a springy bite; drain very well.

   

8. 08

   Assemble and serve hot

   Divide the hot noodles among four warmed bowls and pour over the 80–85°C shoyu broth. Add two thick chashu slices, menma, narutomaki and sliced scallions to each bowl. Serve immediately; the pork is cooked by temperature, not by its pink colour, and this photographed version has no egg or nori.