Tonkotsu Ramen

Instructions

For the eggs, boil them in enough water to cover, counting from the point the water returns to a full boil. Cook 7 minutes for a jammy yolk or 9 minutes for fully hard, then chill them in ice water so the shells peel more easily.

Brown the diced pork hock meat with the garlic, green onions and ginger in a small pot. Add the soy sauce, wine, sugar and water and simmer for 10 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Set the pork aside to eat, pour the liquid into a bowl or ziplock bag, add the peeled eggs so the marinade covers them, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

For the broth, cut the pork hock bones apart, rinse them well under running water, then boil them for 15 minutes in just enough water to cover. Drain, brush off any bloody bits, and split the bones with a saw and hammer so the marrow can escape.

Return the bones to a pot with the apple, onions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and water. Hold a low boil over medium heat, skim the scum as it forms, and top up the water as it drops. After about 2 hours the soup turns white and cloudy, and after 6 hours or more the bones should be hollow and the broth should smell rich, like a ramen shop.

For the char siu, brown the side pork in a pan, then simmer it for 2 hours in a sauce of the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and water. Let it cool in the pot, and slice it gently because it will be very tender and may fall apart. It should be a nice amber color.

For the noodles, mix the flour and kansui, then add the water. The dough will seem too dry and very stiff, which is normal, so work it to a mealy texture and press it into a ball with your body weight. Knead hard for 10 minutes, even if it cracks, then wrap it and rest it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the rested dough to 5 mm, then run it through a pasta machine, stepping down to the thickness you want, or keep rolling by hand. Remember the noodles swell about 1.3 times when boiled. Dust lightly with potato or corn starch to prevent sticking.

Boil the noodles to your preferred doneness and drain them, squeezing them firmly if you like them curly. Put them in a warmed large bowl, add the hot broth, and top with sliced char siu and a halved marinated egg. Add salt sparingly at first, then more to taste.