11/16/2025
Episode 10 | Date Night Dishes Tonkotsu Ramen 🍜 A creamy, umami packed bowl of amazing-ness. For accessibility & ease I’ve stuck to the base flavours; water & bones for the broth, and basic seasoning for the pork, using the chashu sauce throughout for both the eggs and tare (a sauce that is typically used to season the broth) 🔥 Broth: 2kg pork bones Water 1 onion Small handful of dried porcini Pork: 1 kg pork belly 2.5 cups water 1.5 cups light soy sauce 3/4 cup mirin 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar 4 garlic cloves Large k**b of ginger 5 spring (green) onions 2 squares of kombu Small handful of dried porcini Other: Eggs High quality ramen noodles 1. Place bones into large pan of cold water & bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 mins until scum rises. Strain, rinse under water & place back into the pan. 2. Cover again with water, add onion & mushrooms, bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low & keep at a rolling boil for 10-12 hours. Frequently check broth & top up with extra water when needed. Start in the morning, so it is ready for the evening, or prep in advance & store in the fridge / freezer. 3. Once cooked, strain broth & set aside. 4. For chashu, roll pork & tie with some string. Sear in a heavy based pan until brown. Set aside. Preheat oven to 150 C / 300 F fan. 5. Into same pan, add remaining chashu ingredients & bring to a boil. Add back in the pork (half submerged), cover with lid & place into oven. Cook for 2.5 hours, turning every 45 mins. Once cooked, remove from oven, leave to cool, then refrigerate pork until ready to eat - cold pork makes it easier to cut thin slices. To reheat, pan fry the slices on both sides. 6. Add room temp eggs into boiling water & cook for 5 mins. Remove from water, place into cold water to cool, then peel. Add peeled eggs into bowl & cover with the cooled chashu sauce. 7. To serve, add a few tbsp of chashu sauce into a bowl & small pinch of MSG (if you have it). Pour over some hot broth, add the cooked noodles, top with pork, eggs & spring onion. Enjoy!
