Buta-nibo Recipe

Prepare bones: blanch pork bones and chicken in a large stockpot: cover bones with cold water, bring to a rolling boil 10 minutes, then drain and rinse bones and pot to remove scum. This yields a cleaner, deeper broth.

Roast bones (optional for added depth): spread drained bones on a sheet and roast at 220°C / 425°F for 20–30 minutes until brown. Return to a clean large stockpot.

Add 6 liters fresh cold water to the pot with bones. Add onion, ginger, garlic, shallots. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer. Skim scum frequently for the first 45 minutes. Simmer uncovered for 6–8 hours to extract collagen and flavor.

About 45 minutes before the end of simmering, toast niboshi in a dry pan over medium heat 1–2 minutes until aromatic (careful not to burn). Remove heads if you prefer less bitterness. Separately, steep niboshi and kombu in 600 ml hot water (80–90°C) for 15 minutes, then strain. Add concentrated niboshi infusion to the main broth for 45 minutes to 1 hour to impart seafood umami.

Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids. Skim fat as desired and reserve rendered pork fat for topping. Season the broth lightly with 2 tsp salt — final seasoning will be done with tare.

Make tare: in a small saucepan combine 300 ml concentrated niboshi stock (from the niboshi steep), 120 ml soy sauce, 30 ml mirin, 30 ml sake and 5 g sugar. Heat until just simmering, then cool. Keep at room temperature; this will be used as the shoyu base for each bowl (about 2–3 tbsp per bowl depending on taste).

Chashu: If not pre-made, roll pork belly, tie, sear in neutral oil until browned, then braise in a mixture of 300 ml water, 100 ml soy sauce, 100 ml mirin, 100 ml sake, 2 sliced ginger rounds and 2 smashed garlic cloves for 1.5–2 hours until fork tender. Cool and slice thinly. Reserve braising liquid for extra flavor if desired.

Blanch bean sprouts and cabbage: bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds and cabbage for 30–45 seconds until just tender-crisp. Drain and set aside. These support the huge Jiro-style vegetable pile.

Prepare soft-boiled eggs (ajitsuke tamago) if not ready: boil eggs 6–6.5 minutes for jammy yolks, cool in ice bath, peel and marinate overnight in equal parts soy sauce and mirin diluted 1:1 with water (enough to cover).

Mince the 4 cloves of garlic for raw garlic topping; reserve rendered pork fat or warm neutral oil to spoon over bowls as finishing fat.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tsp salt. Cook fresh ramen noodles in batches according to package or about 60–90 seconds for thick Jiro-style noodles. Stir gently to prevent sticking.

Ladle 500–600 ml hot broth into a separate pot to heat, and prepare tare in each serving bowl (2–3 tbsp tare per bowl, adjust to taste). Pour hot broth into the bowl over tare and taste; adjust with additional tare or salt if needed.

Place cooked noodles into the seasoned bowl, pile blanched bean sprouts and cabbage high, arrange sliced chashu on top, add halved ajitsuke egg, sprinkle green onions, spoon rendered pork fat over the top, and add a generous mound of raw minced garlic (as per Jiro-style). Serve with nori and chili oil on the side.

Marinate chicken: combine 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp grated garlic and 1 tsp sesame oil. Toss chicken pieces in marinade and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes (up to 2 hours).

Prepare breading: mix potato starch (or cornstarch) with 30 g flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl.

Coat chicken: drain excess marinade, toss pieces in the egg, then dredge thoroughly in the starch-flour mix, shaking off excess.

Heat oil to 170–180°C (340–355°F) in a deep pot. Fry chicken in batches 4–5 minutes until golden and cooked through, turning as needed. Remove to a rack and rest 2 minutes, then increase oil to 190°C and flash-fry 30–45 seconds for extra crispness if desired. Drain on paper or rack and serve with lemon wedges.

Make filling: combine ground pork, squeezed chopped cabbage, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 sliced green onion, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix until slightly sticky.

Assemble: place ~1 tsp filling in center of wrapper, wet edge with water, fold and pleat to seal. Repeat for all wrappers.

Cook: heat 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high. Arrange gyoza in a single layer and fry bottoms until golden (1–2 minutes). Pour 120 ml water into pan and immediately cover. Steam 4–5 minutes until water evaporates. Remove lid and continue cooking to re-crisp bottoms 1–2 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce (equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar, chili oil to taste).

Sauté vegetables: heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add sliced onion and cook until translucent, add diced carrot and potato and cook 3–4 minutes.

Add 600 ml water (or stock), bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, 12–15 minutes.

Stir in 80 g Japanese curry roux pieces until dissolved, simmer 5 minutes until thickened. Season with 1/2 tsp salt if needed. Keep warm and serve over cooked short-grain rice.

For each bowl: add 2–3 tbsp niboshi shoyu tare to the bottom of the bowl, ladle 700–800 ml hot broth over tare, taste and adjust. Add cooked noodles, mound blanched vegetables Jiro-style, top with sliced chashu, half an ajitama, green onions, nori, a spoonful of rendered pork fat and a heap of raw minced garlic. Drizzle chili oil or sprinkle sesame seeds as desired.

Plate karaage and gyoza as sides and serve a small portion of curry rice on the side for a complete BUTA-NIBO experience.