For this month’s challenge recipe, I finally tackled ramen. Since moving to Maine, we haven’t found a bowl we truly love. We’re still chasing our favorite from a little spot in Chelsea, and while this Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen with Ginger Pork doesn’t quite match that one, it’s more than good enough to tide us over until our next trip to NYC.
This is one of those recipes where skill isn’t really the barrier. What you need is time, patience… and a willingness to cook with pig’s feet. The tonkotsu broth is the time-intensive part; if you’re using store-bought ramen noodles, everything else is pretty straightforward.
The pig bones and feet are first blanched, then chilled for 3 hours before being covered in water with an onion and boiled for up to ten hours. After that, the broth rests in the fridge for another four hours. The result is the most gelatinous stock I’ve ever made – in the best possible way. I made the broth several weeks in advance and stored it in the freezer.
When it’s time to assemble, you warm that jiggly broth and ladle it over a spicy miso tare made with gochujang, red and white miso, sesame paste and oil, rice wine vinegar, and fresh ginger. Add the noodles, then top everything with ground pork cooked with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, a shower of thinly sliced scallions, and a couple of soft-boiled egg halves.
That broth brings a depth of flavor I’ve never quite managed at home before, and we doubled the spicy miso tare to really punch things up.
Book: Ramen Obsession, page 88
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Easy but time intensive
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 18+ hours
Store-Bought Is Fine: ramen noodles
Hard-to-find: pigs feet
Recipe not online.
