There is something magical about a great bowl of Japanese ramen noodle soup. It’s absolutely wonderful. If you’ve never had good ramen go out and get some.
Just do it. Today. Noodles. Broth. Pork. Egg. Wow. If the noodles are the backbone, the tonkotsu ramen broth is the heart and soul.
While all ramen will have a broth that is usually made from chicken or pork bones, dashi or seafood, the addition of the tare will be what sets the ramen apart and which kind of flavors will be more predominant in the dish.
Clean bones is the key to a good tonkotsu ramen broth
There’s a lot of Asian technique here that you don’t see in classic western cooking. Blanching the bones is a big one.
And a really good one. Add all the bones to a pot. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then dump it all out and rinse the bones.
I’m not a fan of putting flavour down the sink. But in this case it’s genius. Doesn’t make a difference to the end flavour.
But it does get rid of all that muck floating on the surface of the stock. Muck that would get boiled into the stock. Muck that would likely ruin the broth. Did I mention this is genius?
A rolling boil makes a magical broth
Something happens when you cook pork bones at a rolling boil. All the gelatin and fat and goodness comes out of the bones and turns the stock that milky white colour.
If nothing else, this experience was absolutely fascinating. Just make sure you keep adding water to keep the bones submerged.
Don’t use a slow cooker for this. Won’t work. People have tried. They have failed. Read the comments below…
How to Ramen: Episode 1, Tonkotsu Broth
FAQ
What is the liquid in ramen?
Is ramen made from bone broth?
Why is ramen broth so good?
What is ramen broth made of?
The first one is chicken broth made from chicken carcass. The second is a combination broth made from chicken and Japanese dashi stock. And the third is Tonkotsu which is made from pork bones. Many ramen restaurant chefs create their own unique flavored broth for their ramen and that is their secret weapon.
Are ramen noodles gluten free?
Ramen noodles are not gluten free as their main ingredient is wheat flour. The wheat based ramen noodles or refined wheat flour ramen noodles are cut into noodle strips from a dough of wheat. Wheat and its products contain gluten which are not suitable to ingest by individuals who have gluten intolerance. Gluten free ramen are now a days introduced into the market.
What are the different types of ramen broth?
Ramen broth can be classified by ingredients into three categories. The first one is chicken broth made from chicken carcass. The second is a combination broth made from chicken and Japanese dashi stock. And the third is Tonkotsu which is made from pork bones.
What color is ramen broth?
This gives you a “cleaner” more pure-tasting ramen broth that’s light-to-milky in color (not brown). *If you’re short on time, you can make the ramen broth by just blanching the bones and not cleaning them of the darker elements — it will taste really good, but the broth will be a dark brown color.