Tokyo Tonkotsu Shoyu Recipe

Blanch bones: Place pork trotters and neck/marrow bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Skim scum thoroughly.

Drain and rinse: Drain bones and rinse under running water, scrubbing to remove any remaining coagulated proteins. Rinse the pot as well to remove residue.

Start fresh simmer: Return cleaned bones to the pot, add 6 L fresh cold water, add halved onion, smashed ginger, smashed garlic, leek whites, kombu, and dried shiitake. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Maintain a vigorous simmer (not full rolling boil) for 6–8 hours uncovered or partially covered to reduce excessive frothing. Occasionally skim any foam. The long simmer extracts collagen to create a creamy, milky broth.

Remove kombu after 30 minutes to 1 hour of simmering to avoid bitterness (if still present). Continue simmering bones until broth is rich and opaque. If needed, top up with small amounts of boiling water to keep bones submerged.

Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve or chinoise into a clean pot. Press solids gently to extract liquid. Season the broth with 2 tsp salt. Keep hot; hold at a gentle simmer until assembly. (If making ahead, cool quickly and refrigerate.)

Combine soy sauces, mirin, sake, sugar, and bonito flakes in a small saucepan.

Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 3–5 minutes to meld flavors; do not boil aggressively. Remove from heat and steep 10 minutes.

Strain out bonito flakes (if used). Keep tare warm or at room temperature. This yields about 300 ml of tare — use roughly 45–60 ml per finished bowl (adjust to taste).

Prepare pork belly: Roll the pork belly into a tight log and tie with butcher's twine at 2 cm intervals. Sear the roll in a hot pan with a little oil until browned on all sides to build flavor.

Make braising liquid: In a pot large enough for the roll, combine 120 ml soy sauce, 80 ml mirin, 80 ml sake, 500 ml water, 25 g sugar, smashed garlic, sliced ginger, and scallions. Add the seared pork belly.

Braise gently: Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 1.5–2 hours, turning pork occasionally so it braises evenly. The pork is done when tender and a skewer slides through easily.

Cool in braising liquid: Remove pot from heat and let the pork cool in the braising liquid to absorb more flavor (at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight for best results). Reserve braising liquid to use as additional seasoning for broth or tare if desired.

Slice chashu thinly (about 3–4 mm) when ready to serve. Reheat slices briefly in warmed braising liquid or place in hot broth to heat through.

Soft-boil eggs: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Lower eggs (room temperature) carefully into boiling water and cook for 6 minutes for jammy yolks (6–7 minutes depending on size).

Ice bath: Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath to stop cooking. Chill at least 5 minutes.

Peel and marinate: Whisk 80 ml soy sauce, 40 ml mirin, 40 ml water, and 10 g sugar until sugar dissolves. Place peeled eggs in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning occasionally. For half-marinated eggs, remove once edges of yolk begin to color but are still soft inside (about 4–8 hours).

Prepare noodles and toppings: Bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook ramen noodles according to package directions (usually 1.5–3 minutes for fresh noodles). In a small saucepan, blanch corn and bamboo shoots separately or together for 1–2 minutes to heat through. Rehydrate wakame according to package if needed and drain. Slice scallions thinly.

Portion tare: Place about 45–60 ml shoyu tare into each serving bowl (adjust to taste).

Ladle broth: Reheat strained tonkotsu broth to a gentle simmer. Skim any fat/foam. Pour approximately 600–700 ml hot broth into each bowl over the tare; stir briefly to dissolve tare evenly. Taste and adjust with reserved braising liquid or additional tare if needed.

Add noodles: Drain cooked noodles thoroughly and place a portion into each bowl, submerging them slightly in the broth.

Arrange toppings: Top each bowl with 2–3 slices of warmed chashu pork, one half marinated egg (cut side up), about 30 g warmed corn, 30 g bamboo shoots, a small mound (about 7–8 g) of wakame, and a handful of sliced scallions.

Finish and serve: Place a quarter sheet of nori at the edge of each bowl, drizzle about 1/4 tsp sesame oil over the surface, and sprinkle white pepper or shichimi togarashi to taste. Serve immediately while hot.