Japanese
Ramen
Layered shoyu ramen with deep chicken-pork broth, springy noodles, aromatic oil, and slow-braised chashu.
4 servings · 60 minutes prep · 390 minutes cook
Ingredients
Chashu
- 2 lb pork belly slab, skin removed
- 1 cup Japanese soy sauce
- 1 cup sake
- 1 cup mirin
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced, fresh; sliced
Broth
- 4 lb chicken backs, wings, or carcasses
- 1 lb pork neck bones
- 3 quarts water, for blanching
- 16 cups cold water, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, halved
- 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced, fresh; sliced
- 1 piece kombu, 6 inches square
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 oz niboshi, heads and guts removed
Shoyu Tare
- 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
- 1/4 cup usukuchi soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 oz katsuobushi
- 1 piece kombu, 3 inches square
Aroma Oil
- 6 oz chicken skin or chicken fat
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
Eggs and Bowls
- 4 large eggs
- 16 oz fresh ramen noodles
- 1/2 cup menma
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 4 sheets nori
Directions
Make the Chashu
- Roll the pork belly slab tightly, tie with kitchen twine, and place in a small pot with the Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin, water, granulated sugar, scallions, and fresh ginger. Simmer gently, turning every 30 minutes, until tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Cool in the liquid, then chill overnight. Slice enough for 3 slices per bowl; refrigerate leftover chashu in its strained cooking liquid for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Build the Broth
- Bring the chicken backs, wings, or carcasses and pork neck bones to a hard boil in a pot with the water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones well, and scrub the pot clean.
- Return the cleaned bones to the pot with 12 cups of the water. Bring to a simmer, skim thoroughly, and cook uncovered at 185-195°F for 4 hours, adding the yellow onion, scallions, and fresh ginger for the final hour.
- Steep the kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and niboshi in the remaining 4 cups water for 30 minutes. Heat to 160°F, remove the kombu, simmer for 10 minutes, and strain.
- Strain the bone broth, combine it with the strained dashi, and simmer until reduced to about 10 cups. Keep hot.
Make the Tare and Aroma Oil
- For the tare, combine the Japanese soy sauce, usukuchi soy sauce, mirin, sake, granulated sugar, katsuobushi, and kombu in a small saucepan. Bring just to a simmer, turn off the heat, steep for 10 minutes, and strain.
- For the aroma oil, cook the chicken skin or chicken fat with the avocado oil, scallions, and garlic cloves over low heat until the skin is golden and the oil is fragrant, 35-45 minutes. Strain.
Prepare the Eggs and Noodles
- Boil the eggs for 6 minutes 30 seconds, chill in ice water, peel, and marinate in about 1 cup cooled chashu liquid for 6-12 hours. Use pasteurized eggs for the jammy finish; for pregnant, immunocompromised, elderly, or very young diners, cook the eggs until the yolks are firm.
- Slice the chilled chashu thinly and warm the slices in a little hot broth. Cook the fresh ramen noodles in unsalted boiling water until springy, 60-90 seconds.
Assemble the Bowls
- Add 2 tbsp shoyu tare and 1 tbsp aroma oil to each warmed bowl. Add about 2 1/4 cups hot broth, then the noodles. Top each bowl with chashu, a halved egg, menma, scallions, and toasted nori.
