Easy 30 min no-fuss "Tonkotsu" Ramen

Have you ever been to Japan? No? Have you ever been to the new hipster japanese Ramen shop around the corner? Yes? Okay, then you might have a slight idea of what Tonkotsu Ramen broth tastes like. It's heavenly, yes?

So we, as aspiring cooks want to make it at home. How? First things first, google it. Okay first page, draw it up scroll through the ingredients...pigs feet (where do I get that from? ok, worry later). Everything else seems to be easy enough. So next, instructions: "cook it for 12 hours. Add water .."-WAIT WHAT?! 12 hours!? No way, I have about 4 hours left until my guests arrive for dinner. So what do we do? Let's go to Youtube and type "easy tonkotsu ramen"... BINGO.

So this recipe uses soy milk instead of the 12hr pork bone/pigs feet broth and promises a rich and creamy taste that you can't believe tastes anything close to actual Tonkotsu. However, I was blown away by the actual simplicity of the dish and the actual taste! The soy milk sauce has the perfect silky texture that you will feel on your tongue. It's an instant classic that takes less than 20 minutes in total and scales well for a large crowd. Most ingredients should be found already in your well stocked pantry.

The recipe given here can but does not have to be vegetarian. Just substitute the chicken broth and dashi with veggie broth! This of course will not mean that real Tonkotsu broth should be taken off the menus of all these shops that seem to pop up every second, god no. BUT, this suits perfectly well for at home, for if you want to get some quick and delicious ramen, without making your whole apartment smell like pigs feet.

Difficulty: 2/5

Time: ~20 min

Ingredients (feeds 2-3):

• 1 pack of ramen noodles per Person

For the Broth

• 500ml unsweetened soy milk

• 250ml water

• a shot of cream/coconut milk

• 2 tsp of powdered chicken/veggie broth or 1 cube

For the Sauce base:

• 3 Tbsp Tsuyu (ready mixed soy based noodle dipping sauce)

• 2 Tbsp Tahini (any will do)

• 1 Tbsp of chilli oil (be careful)

As toppings:

• chives

• veggie mince (see maze soba recipe)

• 7 minute egg

• anything you'd like

Instructions:

1. Mix the broth ingredients and get it to a boil. Turn down the heat, it will be ready after.

2. Mix the base and add equal amounts to each bowl. More means more flavor!

3. Set your noodle water and get it boiling.

4. Cook your mince and put it aside. The mince can be made the same as in the maze soba recipe!

5. Cook the noodles. Fill up the bowl with the broth and add noodles and topping. Add some more chilli oil for final flavor.