Nagoya Ramen Recipe

Blanch pork bones and chicken: place pork bones and chicken in a large stockpot, cover with cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil 8–10 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse bones and pot to remove scum.

Simmer broth: return cleaned bones and chicken to pot. Add 6 liters cold water, ginger slices, crushed garlic, halved onion and dried shiitake. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim foam occasionally. Maintain a very gentle simmer (not a rolling boil) for 4–6 hours for a rich pork-chicken base.

Add kombu and bonito: in the last 30 minutes of simmering, add kombu to the pot. After 10 minutes remove kombu (to avoid bitterness). With 5–10 minutes left, add dried bonito flakes and simmer briefly, then strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids. Taste and season lightly with sea salt and white pepper; you will finish seasoning with tare later.

Make tare: combine dark soy, light soy, mirin, sake, sugar, and dried anchovies in a small saucepan. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook 6–8 minutes to meld flavors. If using anchovies, simmer 10 minutes and strain out solids. Cool and set aside. This yields enough for multiple bowls: roughly 2 tablespoons tare per bowl (adjust to taste).

Prepare pork belly: roll and tie the belly into a log if not already. Sear the exterior in a hot pan until browned on all sides to develop color (optional).

Braise: place seared pork in a small pot with 2 cups water, soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, smashed ginger and garlic. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and braise gently for 1.5–2 hours until very tender. Turn occasionally so it cooks evenly.

Cool and slice: remove pork from braising liquid, let cool slightly. Reserve braising liquid as additional seasoning. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds when cool enough to handle. Keep warm.

Prepare seafood and vegetables: bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Quickly blanch bok choy or napa halves 30–60 seconds until bright green; shock in cold water and drain. Briefly sauté shiitake mushrooms in a teaspoon of sesame oil until just tender. Toss bean sprouts with a pinch of salt and blanch 30 seconds, then drain.

Cook shrimp and squid: in the same boiling water (or a separate pot), cook shrimp 1–2 minutes until pink and opaque; remove. Add squid rings to boiling water for 30–45 seconds until just cooked; remove to avoid rubbery texture.

Cook noodles: cook ramen noodles according to package directions in plenty of boiling water (typically 1–3 minutes for fresh, longer for dried). Drain well and portion into 4 bowls.

Warm bowls: to keep the ramen hot, pour a little boiling water into each serving bowl to warm, then discard the water.

Assemble each bowl

Add 2 tablespoons of tare to each warmed bowl. Ladle 500 ml (about 2 cups) of hot strained broth into each bowl over the tare and taste; add more tare if desired. Place cooked noodles into broth.

Top ramen: arrange 3 slices of chashu pork, 3 shrimp, a few squid rings, a halved soft-boiled egg, 2 bok choy halves (or napa leaves), a handful of bean sprouts, sliced shiitake, bamboo shoots, and green onions on each bowl. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Add nori strips to the side and chili oil if desired.

Serve immediately: serve hot with extra tare and chili oil on the side.