Pressure Cooker Tonkotsu Ramen with Garlic Oil

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Pressure-cooker method delivers restaurant-level, ultra-milky tonkotsu in a fraction of the usual time.
• Clear, home-cook friendly steps with exact times, temps, and measurements.
• Flexible toppings: use store-bought chashu or make your own; easy garlic oil for depth.
• Reliable tare ratio for perfectly seasoned bowls, every time.

Grocery List

• Produce: Onion, garlic, ginger, scallions, dried or fresh wood ear mushrooms, kombu
• Dairy: Eggs
• Pantry: Soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, neutral oil, toasted sesame oil, thin ramen noodles; Butcher items: 4 lb pork bones (neck/femur/trotters), optional pork back fat, chashu (or pork belly if making homemade)

Full Ingredients

Milky Tonkotsu Broth (Pressure Cooker)

• 4 lb pork bones, mixed (about 2 lb neck bones, 1 lb femur/leg bones, 1 lb pork trotters)
• 4 oz pork back fat (optional but recommended for extra richness)
• 16 cups (3.8 L) water (for an 8-quart pressure cooker; see Pro Tips if using a 6-quart)
• 1 medium onion, halved (about 8 oz/225 g)
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 (2-inch/5 cm) piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 scallion whites

Shoyu Tare (Seasoning Base)

• 1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) mirin
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) sake
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1 piece kombu (about 4×4 inches / 10×10 cm)
• 1 tsp sugar

Garlic Oil

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, or rice bran)
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)

• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp sugar

Toppings

• 1 oz dried wood ear mushrooms (or 1 cup fresh), soaked and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, pinch of salt
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
• 12–18 oz sliced chashu (store-bought or homemade), warmed

Noodles

• 1 lb fresh thin ramen noodles (Hakata-style) or 12 oz dried

Optional Homemade Chashu (Make-Ahead)

• 2 lb (900 g) skin-on pork belly, rolled and tied
• 1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) sake
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) mirin
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed; 1-inch ginger, sliced; 2 scallions

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Blanch and Clean the Bones

Add the pork bones to a large pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse bones under cold water. Scrub away visible blood and dark bits. Rinse the pot. This step ensures a clean, pure broth.

Step 2: Pressure-Cook the Broth

Place the cleaned bones, onion, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and optional pork back fat into an 8-quart pressure cooker. Add 16 cups (3.8 L) of water, staying below the max fill line. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 90 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then vent any remaining steam. Remove and discard the onion, ginger, garlic, and scallions.

Step 3: Emulsify to Ultra-Milky White

Switch to sauté/high heat or transfer the broth to a large pot. Boil vigorously, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring often to break down fat and collagen. Use an immersion blender for 45–60 seconds to fully emulsify until the broth turns opaque, creamy, and off-white. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot and keep hot on low heat. You should have about 2.5–3 quarts (2.4–2.8 L). If needed, reduce to concentrate. The broth should lightly coat a spoon.

Step 4: Make the Shoyu Tare

In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, kombu, and sugar. Heat to 180°F (82°C) and hold for 10 minutes (do not boil). Remove kombu and let tare cool. For each bowl, you will use 1.5 tablespoons (about 22 ml) tare to start; adjust at the table to taste.

Step 5: Make the Garlic Oil

Combine neutral oil and sliced garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring, until the garlic turns deep golden amber, 10–12 minutes (about 250°F/120°C gentle fry). Immediately strain through a fine mesh; reserve the crisp garlic chips for garnish and stir the toasted sesame oil into the warm garlic oil. For a darker mayu-style oil, return 1 tablespoon of the strained garlic to the pan and cook 1–2 minutes more until nearly black, then blend with 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Step 6: Prepare Toppings (Eggs, Wood Ear, Scallions, Chashu)

Soft-boil eggs: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Lower in the eggs and cook exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds. Transfer to an ice bath for 10 minutes, then peel. Combine soy sauce, water, mirin, sake, and sugar in a zip-top bag or small container; add peeled eggs and marinate 4–12 hours in the refrigerator. For wood ear: Soak dried mushrooms in very hot water for 20 minutes, drain, trim tough bits, and slice thin; toss with 1 tsp sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Slice scallions thinly. Warm the chashu in a small skillet or by briefly dipping slices into hot broth.

Step 7: Cook Noodles and Assemble

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (do not salt). Cook fresh thin ramen noodles for 60–90 seconds (or dried per package, typically 2–3 minutes) to your preferred firmness. Drain well. Warm your serving bowls with hot water, then discard the water. In each bowl, add 1.5 tbsp shoyu tare and 12–14 oz (350–400 ml) steaming-hot tonkotsu broth. Add a nest of noodles, top with 2–3 slices warm chashu, half a marinated egg, a small pile of wood ear, and a handful of scallions. Finish with 1 teaspoon garlic oil and a few garlic chips. Taste the broth; add a bit more tare if you like it saltier.

Pro Tips

• Milky broth comes from emulsification: a hard boil plus a brief blend is the shortcut to that signature opaque paitan look and body.
• If using a 6-quart pressure cooker, reduce water to 12–13 cups (2.8–3.1 L) or fill to max line; after cooking, top up or reduce to reach ideal concentration.
• Keep bowls and toppings warm so the broth stays piping hot and silky when served.
• Season at the bowl: start with 1.5 tbsp tare, then adjust with an extra 1–2 tsp to taste.
• Use pork back fat if you can find it; it enhances body and mouthfeel dramatically.

Variations

• Miso Tare: Whisk 1/2 cup red miso into 1 cup hot dashi and 2 tbsp soy; use 2 tbsp per bowl for a miso-tonkotsu hybrid.
• Spicy: Stir 1–2 tsp rayu or chili crisp into the garlic oil, or add 1 tsp spicy miso to each bowl.
• Black Garlic Oil: Cook half the garlic until almost black and blend with oil for a dramatic ebony swirl and smoky bitterness.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Broth keeps 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen (cool completely, store in airtight containers). Tare keeps 1 month refrigerated. Garlic oil keeps 2 weeks refrigerated. Ramen eggs keep 3 days in their marinade. Chashu (homemade) keeps 4 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen; slice before freezing for easy reheating. Reheat broth gently to a simmer and re-emulsify with a brief whisk or blend if it separates.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate per bowl (broth, 1.5 tbsp tare, 1 tsp garlic oil, 150 g cooked noodles, 2 slices chashu, 1/2 egg, toppings): 700–780 kcal; 36–42 g fat; 54–62 g carbohydrates; 32–38 g protein; 2,000–2,500 mg sodium (varies with tare amount). Values are estimates.