Shoyu Ramen

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken carcasses
• 600 g pork belly
• 20 g kombu
• 20 g dried shiitake
• 200 ml soy sauce
• 60 ml mirin
• 60 ml sake
• 400 g ramen noodles
• 4 pieces eggs
• 4 pieces spring onions, sliced
• 4 pieces garlic cloves
• 40 g ginger

Steps

1. 1
   Soak the kombu and shiitake in 1 litre of cold water for 4 hours, then warm to 60C and strain. Never boil kombu — it turns slimy and bitter.
2. 2
   Parboil the chicken bones 5 minutes, rinse, then simmer them with the garlic and ginger in 3 litres of water for 3 hours at a bare tremble.
3. 3
   Roll and tie the pork belly, then braise it in soy sauce, mirin, sake and water for 2 hours until tender. Reserve the braising liquid — this becomes your tare.
4. 4
   Boil the eggs exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds, chill in ice water, peel and marinate in some of the cooled tare for at least 4 hours.
5. 5
   Combine the strained chicken broth with the kombu-shiitake dashi, and season each bowl with 2-3 tbsp of tare rather than seasoning the whole pot.
6. 6
   Cook the noodles in unsalted water for the time on the packet, drain hard and shake dry.
7. 7
   Assemble: tare in the bowl, hot broth, noodles, sliced pork, halved egg, spring onions. Serve immediately.