Tonkotsu-Style Miso Ramen

Put the Pork bones and Pork trotters in a big pot and cover with cold water. Leave for 30 min, then drain and rinse until the water runs clear. This is what keeps the broth milky rather than grey. Cover the bones with fresh cold water, bring to a hard boil and let it roil for 10 min. Skim off the grey scum and foam, drain the bones and wash them one by one under the tap, scrubbing away every bit of coagulated blood.

⚠ Tip: If you skip this, the broth tastes of barnyard, not pork.

Put the cleaned bones back with Water, the halved Onions, smashed Ginger and Garlic and the white parts of the Spring onions. Bring to a rolling boil and keep it there, uncovered, topping up with boiling water so the bones stay covered.

Keep it at a hard boil for about 4 h, stirring now and then so the bones don't catch. It will turn opaque and milky, the fat emulsified into the liquid. When it coats a spoon and smells deeply porky and sweet, it's ready. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing hard on the solids to get every drop. You want roughly 2 l of broth; if it's thin, boil it down further. Season lightly with salt and keep it just below a simmer, so the whole pot is ready to ladle straight into the bowls.

⚠ Tip: A rolling boil, not a simmer, is the whole trick: the agitation is what emulsifies the fat and collagen.

Whisk the Red miso, White miso, Cooking sake, Mirin, Light soy sauce, Chinese sesame paste, Sugar and Ginger-garlic paste into a thick, glossy paste. Taste it: it should be salty-funky with a sweetness behind it.

Roll the Pork belly into a tight cylinder and tie it with string at intervals. Sear it in a dry pan over medium heat until it's browned on all sides, about 10 min. Add Dark soy sauce, Cooking sake, Mirin and a little water to come halfway up. Braise gently, turning occasionally, for about 1 h 30 min, until a skewer slides in with no resistance. Cool in the liquid, then slice thin.

⚠ Tip: Cool it in the braising liquid overnight if you can: it slices clean and tastes far better.

Boil the Eggs for 6 min 30 sec, then shock in ice water, peel and marinate in the cooled chashu liquid for at least 1 h. Blanch the Bean sprouts for 30 sec and drain well. Warm the Menma and Canned sweetcorn through, and slice the Spring onions greens thin on the bias.

Stir Chilli oil and Toasted sesame oil together in a small bowl for the aroma finish.

Boil the Ramen noodles in plenty of water for 2 min, until just springy with a little bite left. Drain and shake dry.

⚠ Tip: Fresh alkaline noodles cook in a minute or two; overcooked noodles ruin the bowl.

Put a heaped spoon of miso tare in the bottom of each warmed bowl. Ladle in hot finished broth and whisk until the tare dissolves and the surface turns glossy and orange. Add the noodles, then arrange the chashu, marinated eggs, bean sprouts, menma and corn on top.

Drizzle the aroma oil over each bowl, add the sliced scallion greens, a sheet of Nori and a pinch of Shichimi togarashi, plus the Butter if you want the Sapporo-style richness. Slurp immediately.

⚠ Tip: The broth must never boil once the miso is in: it kills the aroma and the miso turns grainy.