Tsukemen Recipe

Blanch bones

Place pork bones and chicken carcasses in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse the bones and pot under hot water; discard the blanch water and any scum.

Initial aromatics

Return cleaned bones to the pot. Add 10 cups fresh water, halved onion, smashed garlic, and sliced ginger. Add vegetable oil and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Long simmer

Reduce heat to maintain a low rolling simmer. Skim foam and fat periodically. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours (for a rich tonkotsu concentrate) up to 6 hours, topping up water as needed so bones stay mostly submerged. If you prefer a quicker, lighter broth, simmer 1.5–2 hours.

Add kombu and bonito

With 20 minutes remaining, add kombu to the pot. Turn off heat after 5–10 minutes (do not boil kombu vigorously) then strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Return strained stock to low heat and add bonito flakes. Simmer very gently 5 minutes, then strain again and discard solids.

Season the broth

Measure out about 1 cup of the concentrated stock into a small saucepan for making tare. To the main stock, stir in 3 tbs soy sauce, 2 tbs mirin, 2 tbs sake, 2 tbs miso (dissolved in a little warm stock first) and 1 tsp salt. Taste and adjust — the dipping broth should be intensely flavored and slightly thicker than ramen soup.

Finish with fat and oil

Render or stir in the 2 tbs lard/pork fat (optional) and 1 tsp chili or sesame oil for aroma. Keep the broth very hot over low heat while preparing noodles and toppings. If making in advance, cool quickly and refrigerate; reheat before serving.

Combine 1 cup concentrated strained stock with 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin, 1 tbs sake, 1 tsp miso and 1 tsp sugar or honey in a small saucepan. Warm gently until sugar and miso dissolve. Simmer 2–3 minutes to marry flavors, then remove from heat. This tare will be the base for each serving's dipping bowl. Taste: it should be strong and savory; adjust soy or miso as needed.

Portioning: For each serving, place about 1/2 cup hot tare in an individual deep bowl. Pour 1–1 1/2 cups of the hot broth (from the main pot) into each tare bowl to create a concentrated dipping soup. Keep the dipping bowls hot; cover until ready to serve.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Add fresh thick tsukemen or ramen noodles and cook according to package directions for thick noodles (usually 2–4 minutes) until very al dente — tsukemen noodles are intentionally chewier. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Rinse and chill

Drain noodles in a colander and immediately transfer to a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes. Rinse thoroughly and agitate the noodles to remove surface starch and stop cooking. Leave in the ice water for 1–2 minutes until well chilled.

Portion noodles

Lift noodles from the ice bath, allowing excess water to drain, and portion onto serving plates or shallow bowls. Toss lightly with a drop of sesame oil if desired to prevent sticking (use sparingly). Serve the chilled noodles separately from the hot dipping broth.

Serve tsukemen

Set each bowl of hot tare + broth beside a plate of chilled noodles. Each diner picks up noodles, dip them into the hot broth to coat, and eat immediately.

Prepare chashu: If not pre-made, sear 6 oz pork belly, then braise in a mixture of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tbs sugar, smashed garlic and sliced ginger for 1–1.5 hours until tender. Cool and slice thinly. (If you have pre-made chashu, reheat slices briefly in warm broth.)

Soft-boiled eggs: Bring water to a boil, lower eggs in, and cook 6–7 minutes for jammy yolks. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath, peel, and halve. For marinated ajitsuke tamago, steep peeled eggs 4–12 hours in a mixture of 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup water and 2 tbs mirin.

Assemble garnishes: Divide chashu slices, halved eggs, 1 tbs menma, sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, nori strips and pickled bamboo among servings. Place toppings on the side of the noodle plate or float lightly on top of the hot dipping broth according to preference.

Acidity and finish: Provide a lemon or yuzu wedge per serving to squeeze over noodles or broth to brighten flavors. Offer extra garlic-chili oil, butter, or more tare at the table for adjustment.

To make garlic-chili oil: gently heat 2 tbs neutral oil in a small pan with 1 tsp minced garlic until fragrant (do not burn). Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp chili flakes and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. Cool slightly and drizzle 1/2 tsp into each dipping bowl for added heat and aroma.

For richness, stir 1 tsp butter into each hot dipping bowl right before serving so it melts into the broth.