Tonkotsu Char Siew Ramen

This recipe is a variation of the famous Tonkotsu Ramen. I made my tonkotsu stock not only with pork bones and chicken bones but also added some dried prawns and a small piece of bacon. As I had some leftover Chinese Char Siew, I used that instead of the Japanese Chashu Pork. Other than Char Siew and the soup, the other satisfying ingredient is the soft boiled egg. This is the first time I made a soft boiled egg and am reasonably happy with the result.  I will be making this again and have included improvements I will be making in my next ramen adventure. Here's my recipe.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings)

• 1 litre of stock made from:

  • 300 gm pork bones

  • 300 gm chicken bones

  • Handful of dried prawns

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 inch ginger (smashed)

• 2 soft boiled eggs soaked in:

  • 1 tablespoon soya sauce

  • 1 tablespoon sake

  • 1 tablespoon mirin

•  100 gm Chinese Char Siew (sliced)

• 150 gm dried egg noodles

• 4 small Chinese mushrooms (soaked in hot water, do not cut)

• 1 bunch spinach leaves

• Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Prepare the stock by boiling pork bones, chicken bones, dried prawns, garlic & ginger. Add Chinese mushrooms to the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer this stock over several hours, preferably overnight in a slow cooker.

2. Prepare the soft boiled eggs:

• Put soya sauce, mirin & sake in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.

• Cool the mixture and pour into a small plastic bag.

• Boil eggs in water for 4 minutes. Put the eggs immediately into cold water & then peel the egg under the cold water to prevent it from breaking up.

• Place the peeled eggs in the plastic bag containing the sauces. Tie up the bag and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

3. Prepare the noodles by boiling the dried egg noodles in salted water till tender. Plunge into cold water to retain the texture. Strain and place in individual bowls.

4. Scald the spinach leaves, drain and place on top of the noodles.

5. Remove the Chinese mushroom from the stock and place on top of the noodles.

6. Remove the eggs from the plastic bag and slice the egg into two using a piece of white thread. Place egg on top of the noodles.

7. Taste the stock and add salt, if needed. Bring to the boil and ladle lots of stock into the bowls. Enjoy!