Creamy white ramen (tonkotsu-style paitan)
The creamy white one, modelled on Momofuku’s ramen. The broth starts as a pot of kombu–shiitake dashi, then runs through three bone stages in the same pot: chicken with onion, then pork with ginger and garlic, then beef — 6–8 hours each, lifting every batch out with a spider before the next goes in: bring each stage up on medium heat, then let it go low for the hours. Chashu is pork belly rolled up skin side out, tied, marinated ~12 hours and roasted hot then low; a whole soy-seared octopus tentacle goes on top.
Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in
Brothstrained, kept at a boilStep 17
Tarereduced marinadeStep 17
Chashusliced, searedStep 15
Octopuswhole tentacle, soy-searedStep 15
Noodlesfresh alkaline, loosenedStep 18
Toppings- spring onion
- nori
- sesame
Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps
h:mm
0:003:006:009:0012:0015:0018:0021:0024:0027:00
Roll, tie, marinate chashu 20 min
Kombu–shiitake dashi 1 h
Chashu marinates (~12 h) 12 h
Blanch + scrub bones 40 min
Stage 1: chicken + onion 7 h
Stage 2: pork + ginger + garlic 7 h
Roast chashu hot, then low 2 h 20
Reduce marinade → tare 25 min
Chashu chills until firm 10 h
Stage 3: beef 7 h
Sous vide octopus (~5 h) 5 h
Spider out, strain broth 20 min
Untie and slice chashu 15 min
Pat octopus dry 5 min
Sear chashu; octopus with soy 10 min
Warm bowls; tare + broth 6 min
Cook noodles 3 min
Top and serve 4 min
BoardPan / stoveHands-offOvenWater bathBowl / counter
Day 1, morning: roll, tie and marinate the chashu (~12 h) and make the dashi. The broth’s three 6–8 h stages run through the night; the chashu roasts in the evening and chills overnight until firm. Day 2: strain, slice, sear, build. Broth, chashu, tare and octopus all keep — see Make ahead & store — so later bowls are just the last few bars.
Step by step
Broth
1Make the dashi
~1 hFor this step
- Kombu-shiitake dashi~6 l — see recipe
- Start with a big pot of kombu–shiitake dashi — about 6 litres, in the stockpot the broth will cook in.
- Everything after this cooks in that same liquid.
Cover all the bones with cold water, then bring it to a hard boil. 2Blanch the bones
high10–15 minFor this step
- Pork knee / knuckle (trotters)1–2 knees
- Chicken bones (drumstick bones, backs)enough to fill the pot about halfway
- Beef neck bonesabout as much as the chicken
- Put all the bones in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and boil hard for 10–15 minutes.
- Lots of grey scum comes up — that’s the point.
- Drain everything into the sink.
Should look like this 
Scrub every bone under cold running water — dark bits, blood and scum off. 3Scrub and rinse
~15 min- Rinse the bones under cold water and scrub off dark bits, clotted blood and scum (the beef neck bones have the most).
- This is what keeps the finished broth white rather than grey.
- Keep the pork and beef bones in the fridge until their stage.
Should look like this 
Chicken bones and onion go into the dashi first. 
Keep it at a low simmer; top up with boiling water when the bones poke out. 4Stage 1 — chicken + onion, 6–8 hours
medium, then low6–8 hFor this step
- Chicken bones (drumstick bones, backs)enough to fill the pot about halfway
- Boiling water for topping upas needed
- Into the dashi:
- chicken bones
- onion 1
- Bring it up on medium heat, then turn it low and let it simmer, lid ajar.
- Top up with boiling water whenever the bones start to poke out; scrape the bottom now and then so nothing catches.
Should look like this 
After 6–8 hours, lift the chicken bones and onion out with the spider. 
Pork knuckle, ginger and garlic go into the same broth. 5Stage 2 — pork + ginger + garlic, 6–8 hours
medium, then low6–8 h- Lift the chicken bones and onion out with the spider strainer — the broth stays in the pot.
- Add:
- pork knee / knuckle (trotters) 1–2 knees
- ginger for the broth 30 g
- garlic head 1
- Back up on medium, then low again, topping up as before. The broth turns cloudy and richer.
Should look like this 
After 6–8 hours, lift the pork bones, ginger and garlic out. 
Beef neck bones go in last. 6Stage 3 — beef, 6–8 hours
medium, then low6–8 h- Lift the pork bones, ginger and garlic out with the spider.
- Add:
- beef neck bones about as much as the chicken
- Medium to bring it up, then low again, topping up as needed — by the end it’s rich and cloudy.
Should look like this 
Lift the beef bones out, then pour the broth through a fine sieve. 
It should coat a spoon. Thin? Boil it down hard. 7Strain
~20 min- Lift the beef bones out with the spider, then pour the broth through a fine sieve.
- You want about 3 litres of opaque, white broth that lightly coats a spoon; if it’s thin, boil it down hard.
Should look like this Chashu
Stir the marinade until the sugar is gone. 
Roll the belly up tightly from a long side, skin side out, and tie it with string every 2 cm. 8Roll, tie and marinate the belly
~12 hFor this step
- Pork belly1–1.2 kg
- Mix until the sugar dissolves:
- soy sauce 200 ml
- mirin 100 ml
- sake 100 ml
- brown sugar 60 g
- water 200 ml
- Add:
- garlic 4 cloves
- ginger 20 g
- spring onion greens a handful
- Roll the belly up tightly from a long side, skin side out, and tie it with kitchen string every ~2 cm.
- Put the roll in a snug dish, turn it in the marinade and leave it in the fridge for about 12 hours, turning a few times.
Should look like this 
After 30 minutes, baste it with the juices, then 30 more. 9Roast hot
oven 230 °C~1 h- Seam side down in the dish with its marinade, uncovered, into a very hot oven.
- After 30 minutes, baste it with the juices and give it another 30 minutes, until the outside is deeply browned.
Should look like this 
10Then low until tender
oven 120 °C1–1½ hTurn the oven down and keep roasting, basting now and then, until a skewer slides into the middle of the roll with no resistance.
Cold from the fridge: cut and pull off the string. 
Slice into 5 mm rounds, fingertips tucked. 11Chill until firm, untie, slice
chill overnight- Lift the roll out (keep the liquid for tare).
- Let it cool, then wrap it and refrigerate — overnight is best — until it’s cold and firm.
- Firm pork slices cleanly.
- Cut and pull off the string, then slice into rounds about 5 mm thick while it’s still cold.
Should look like this Tare
Skim the fat off the strained liquid, then reduce by a third. 12Reduce the marinade into tare
medium~20 minFor this step
- Chashu marinade, strained and reduced~250 ml
- Suggestion — your notes don’t mention a tare.
- Strain the cooking liquid, skim the fat off (keep it: a spoon on top of the bowl is great) and simmer to reduce by about a third.
- Taste: it should be very salty and sweet on its own — it seasons the plain broth.
Should look like this Octopus
Raw tentacles: rub with salt, then rinse the slime off. 
Seal each tentacle in its own bag and lower it into the 77 °C bath. 13Sous vide the tentacle
water bath 77 °C~5 hFor this step
- Octopus tentacles (large octopus)1 per bowl
- Rinse the tentacles (if raw, rub with salt and rinse to remove slime).
- Seal each whole tentacle in its own vacuum or zip bag, air pressed out, and cook it in the water bath at around 77 °C for about 5 h.
Should look like this 
Pat dry and keep it whole — it goes on the bowl in one piece. 14Pat dry — keep it whole
~10 min- Lift the tentacles out of the bags and pat them dry.
- Keep each tentacle whole — no slicing; it goes on the bowl in one piece.
Should look like this Noodles & assembly
Sear the tentacle in a little oil, then add a splash of soy and turn until glazed and charred. 15Sear chashu; sear the octopus with soy
high~3 minFor this step
- Chashu2–3 slices
- Octopus1 whole tentacle
- Oil for searing the octopusa little
- Soy sauce for searing the octopusa splash
- Right before serving, sear the chashu slices in a very hot dry pan for 30–60 seconds a side (or hit them with a torch) until caramelised at the edges.
- Sear each whole tentacle in a hot pan with a little oil, then add a splash of soy sauce and turn it until it’s glazed and charred at the edges.
Should look like this 
Fill the bowls with boiling water; tip it out just before building. 16Warm the bowls
2 minFill the bowls with boiling water while everything else comes together; tip it out just before building.
Should look like this 
Tare in first, then 350 ml of boiling broth; whisk briefly. 17Tare, then broth
1 minFor this step
- Tare2–3 tbsp
- Broth350 ml
- 2–3 tablespoons of tare into each bowl, then 350 ml of boiling broth.
- Whisk briefly to blend and froth it.
Should look like this 
Drain hard — shake out every drop of water. 18Cook the noodles
high1–2 minFor this step
- Fresh alkaline ramen noodles (thin)120–140 g — homemade: alkaline ramen noodles (baked baking soda)
- Cook the fresh alkaline noodles (homemade: alkaline ramen noodles, made with baked baking soda) in a big pot of boiling unsalted water — thin fresh noodles usually take 1–2 min.
- Drain hard — any water dilutes the broth.
Should look like this 
Fold the noodles into the broth, then lay the toppings on. 19Top and serve
- Fold the noodles into the broth.
- Top with:
- chashu 2–3 slices
- octopus 1 whole tentacle
- spring onion sliced
- nori 1 piece
- toasted sesame a pinch
- soft-boiled egg ½
- The tentacle goes on whole, in one piece. Eat straight away.
Should look like this Make ahead & store
Chashu: vacuum-seal the slices one by one. 
Broth: strain through cheesecloth, then cool and refrigerate overnight until it sets. 
Spoon the set jelly into silicone molds and freeze into big cubes. 
Pop the frozen cubes out and wrap each one in foil — they keep very well. 20Make ahead & store (optional)
- Chashu:
- vacuum-seal the slices one by one, so you can take out exactly what you need
- Octopus:
- vacuum-seal the tentacles, still whole
- Broth:
- strain it through cheesecloth
- cool it, then refrigerate for a night (~24 h) until it sets into a jelly
- spoon or cut the jelly into silicone molds and freeze it into large cubes
- pop the cubes out and wrap each one in aluminium foil — they store very well
Should look like this - Chashu: