Easy Tonkotsu Ramen (2 servings)

• 1lb pork belly with a generous fat cap
• 1lb pork shoulder, bone in
• 1lb pork trotter
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cups dark soy sauce
• 2 cups light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups chicken stock or (1/3 cup chicken soup base to 2/3 cup water)
• 1 bundle green onion / shallots
• 1 whole onion, peeled
• 8 oz ramen noodle (fresh, refrigerated is best)
• 8 oz whole kernel corn
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp chili garlic
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp miso paste

Wash the trotters and pork shoulder until the water runs clean. It helps to scrub the bones with a brush. This is the key to a flavorful broth. Cut the shoulder into one inch cubes and add to a stock pot. Add water until it's about two inches above the contents. Add in 1 cup of dark soy sauce, miso paste, and the chicken broth or base. Drop in the whole onion. Set your heat to low and cover for 3 hours, skimming the scum off the top of the broth as needed.

Set the pork belly in a separate pot and add water until the water level is about two inches above the pork belly. Add 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce and 1/2 cup light soy sauce. Add brown sugar and set your heat to low and cover for 3 hours. Check periodically for softness and water levels.

While your broth and pork belly are cooking, prepare the eggs. Boil for 7 minutes for a soft, jammy texture. Dunk eggs in an ice bath or cold water to stop the cook and better results when peeling.

In a container, add 1/2 cup dark soy sauce and 1.5 cups light soy sauce. Add mirin, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. Mix together and add in the eggs with a half cup of water. Make sure the eggs are completely covered. It can help to put it in a tied ziploc bag to keep everything submerged. Store the eggs in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

At the 2.5 hour mark, you can start boiling your noodles. Boil and strain your noodles and set aside when they're done.

At the 3 hour mark, check your broth. It should be greatly reduced and very gently boiling. The shoulder meat should be tender. Check the pork belly as well. It should be saturated and tender when a fork is inserted. The fat cap should be gelatinous and disintegrating in the broth. Turn off the heat for the broth and the pork belly once they're both tender. Both should rest for at least 10 minutes.

What I like to do here is take some pieces of the pork belly fat cap and add to my ramen broth. Pour the broth into a blender. You may have to blend in batches. At this point, your bones should be so soft that they blend evenly and easily.

The pork belly can now be sliced into thin pieces.

Prep your bowls by adding the noodles first. Add the corn. Take your marinated eggs and cut them carefully in half. The refrigerator will have helped develop the desired jammy texture in the yolk. Add the eggs to the bowl, the broth will heat it back up. Add the pork belly.

Add the broth slowly to your bowl.

Garnish with chopped green onion and sesame seeds. I like to crack black pepper on the pork belly as well.

Enjoy. This recipe is part of Skep and Myrtletribe's Small Web Potluck 2026.