Braised Pork Rib Tonkotsu Ramen

Method

1. Start by making your tonkotsu. Blanch the pork bones and trotters in boiling water for 5 mins and discard water. Clean bones and trotters under tap water to remove any impurities and return to the pot. Cover with tap water and bring to a rapid boil. Maintain this rapid boil for 10-12 hours while maintaining water level until a milky white broth is achieved, a rapid boil is necessary to emulsify the fats etc into the liquid. Strain the broth and put aside. TIP: If you make this broth in bulk I have found it freezes well. This saves you a lot of time in the future and you can quickly enjoy a bowl of tonkotsu ramen Re heat in a small pot and have it ready to plate in 10mins. If the broth happens to “split” once re heated hit it with a stick blender to re emulsify before serving.
2. Make your ramen eggs. Soft boil 6 eggs and stop the cooking process in cold water. Peel the eggs and set aside. Combine 1/2cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of mirin, 1/2 cup of water and a teaspoon of sugar in a container. Place the eggs in this and cover with a piece of kitchen towel to ensure they are all submerged in the liquid. Cure these eggs for at least 10 hours, preferably do this the day before and have them curing for 24 -48hrs.
3. Make your black garlic oil. Slice up half a head of garlic and add to a pan. Slowly sauté in canola oil on a medium low heat, you want to achieve a nice dark colour on the garlic. Once blackened remove from the pan and place in a mortar and pestle. Grind the garlic up finely and add a teaspoon of sesame oil at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Put aside for garnishing.
4. Braise the pork ribs. Combine 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and 1 cup of water (you can also use a cup of your tonkotsu taken while it is cooking instead of the water for extra flavour) in a roasting pan. Place your rack of ribs in this and cover with aluminium foil. Braise this in an oven at 130C. After 2 1/2 hours remove the foil and continue cooking for another 1 - 2 hours occasionally basting the ribs with the liquid until desired doneness is achieved. Slice up ribs individually and set aside in the braising liquid until ready to serve.
5. When ready to plate your Ramen. Finely slice your green onions, slice and sauté your mushrooms for a few minutes until soft and prepare your bowls by adding 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of mirin to each bowl (Tare). Cook your ramen noodles as per instructions. Add 1 cup of tonkotsu to each bowl and add your cooked noodles. Add your toppings: pork ribs, mushrooms, egg and sliced green onions. Garnish with your black garlic oil and enjoy! This is a tedious and long recipe but the quality of Ramen it produces is well worth the effort. It brings my wife and I back to previous trips to Japan where we would enjoy slurping up ramen noodles in a cosy ramen restaurant! Cheers.