How to Make Authentic Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen — A Fukuoka Third-Generation Ramen Master and a Yatai Street-Stall Ramen Chef Walk You Through the Recipe From the 12-Hour Pork-Bone Broth to the Final Bowl

Overview

This video details the 12-hour process for making authentic Hakata Tonkotsu ramen, guided by a third-generation ramen-ya owner and a yatai street-stall chef. Learn how to create the rich, creamy pork-bone broth, make traditional thin noodles, and prepare essential toppings like chashu and ajitsuke-tamago from scratch.

Ingredients

• 2 kilograms pork bones (trotter, femur, neck bones)
• 4 liters fresh water
• Boiling water (as needed for broth, eggs, noodles)
• 300 grams bread flour
• 130 milliliters water
• 4 grams salt
• 6 grams kansui
• Cold egg
• Ice water
• Chashu liquid
• 200-gram slab pork belly
• String
• 200 milliliters soy sauce
• 200 milliliters sake
• 100 milliliters mirin
• 100 grams sugar
• 20 grams sea salt
• Grated garlic
• Negi green onion
• Menma
• Nori
• Mayu (black garlic oil)

Instructions

1. Blanch 2 kilograms of pork bones in hard boiling water for 10 minutes. Discard dirty water and scrub every bone clean under cold water.
2. Place cleaned bones in a clean pot with 4 liters fresh water. Bring to a hard, rolling boil for 8 to 12 hours, continuously adding more boiling water every hour to keep bones covered.
3. Roll a 200-gram slab of pork belly tight into a log and tie with string. Sear all sides in a hot pan.
4. Braise the seared pork belly for 2 hours in a liquid made of 200 milliliters soy sauce, 200 milliliters sake, 100 milliliters mirin, and 100 grams sugar. Turn the pork every 30 minutes. Let it cool in the braising liquid and save the liquid for tare.
5. Take a cold egg from the fridge, place in boiling water for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to an ice water bath for 5 minutes. Peel the egg.
6. Marinate the peeled egg in a bag with chashu liquid and water for a few hours.
7. Mix 300 grams bread flour, 130 milliliters water, 4 grams salt, and 6 grams kansui to make fresh Hakata-style noodles.
8. For 4 bowls of tare: Mix 60 milliliters of the saved chashu liquid with 40 milliliters soy sauce, 20 grams sea salt, and a little grated garlic.
9. In a hot bowl, add 2 tablespoons of tare. Pour in 350 milliliters of hot, 90-degree Celsius tonkotsu broth and stir.
10. Boil fresh noodles for 45 seconds for barikata (extra firm). Add cooked noodles to the bowl immediately.
11. Top the ramen with two slices chashu, one half ajitsuke-tamago, some negi green onion, menma, nori, and drizzle with mayu (black garlic oil). Serve and eat immediately.

In this video

• Authentic Tonkotsu ramen broth requires a hard, rolling boil for 8 to 12 hours to emulsify fat and collagen.
• For home preparation, start with 2 kilograms of pork bones including trotter, femur, and neck bones.
• Pork bones must be blanched in hard boiling water for 10 minutes, then scrubbed clean to achieve a clean white broth.
• The ramen's creamy white color comes from the violent, continuous boiling that emulsifies the fat and collagen in the pork bones.
• Hakata-style noodles are very thin, straight, low moisture, and are boiled for as little as 45 seconds for an extra firm bite (barikata).
• Homemade Hakata noodles are made from 300 grams bread flour, 130 milliliters water, 4 grams salt, and 6 grams of kansui.
• Ajitsuke-tamago (marinated egg) is made by boiling a cold egg for exactly 6 minutes and 30 seconds, then immediately submerging it in an ice water bath for 5 minutes.
• Chashu pork belly should be rolled into a log, seared, then braised for 2 hours in a liquid of 200 milliliters soy sauce, 200 milliliters sake, 100 milliliters mirin, and 100 grams sugar.
• The tare, a key seasoning, is mixed with the saved chashu braising liquid, soy sauce, sea salt, and grated garlic, and is added to the bowl first before the broth.
• Final ramen assembly is a fast ceremony: 2 tablespoons tare, 350 milliliters 90-degree Celsius hot broth, cooked noodles, chashu, ajitsuke-tamago, negi, menma, nori, and mayu.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to make authentic Tonkotsu ramen broth?

Authentic Tonkotsu ramen broth requires a hard, rolling boil for 8 to 12 hours to achieve its creamy, emulsified texture and white color.

What makes Hakata-style ramen noodles unique?

Hakata-style noodles are very thin, straight, and have low moisture for a firm bite. They are typically boiled for only 45 seconds for an extra firm texture (barikata).

How do you prepare pork bones for Tonkotsu broth?

Pork bones must first be blanched in hard boiling water for 10 minutes, then thoroughly scrubbed clean under cold water to ensure a clean white broth.

What are the main ingredients for homemade Hakata ramen noodles?

Homemade Hakata ramen noodles are made with 300 grams bread flour, 130 milliliters water, 4 grams salt, and 6 grams of kansui (alkaline water).

What is the secret to the final seasoning of Tonkotsu ramen?

The secret is the tare, a salty seasoning, which is placed in the bowl first before adding the unsalted broth. It's often made with saved chashu braising liquid, soy sauce, sea salt, and garlic.