Clear, amber broth — chicken and dashi base with a shoyu tare made from three soy sauces. The working person's ramen. Doable in 4 hours.
Blanch chicken backs in boiling water 1 minute, drain, rinse. This removes impurities for a clear broth.
Cold steep: cover kombu in 2L cold water for 30 min. Bring to 60C (do not boil). Remove kombu.
Add blanched chicken to the dashi. Bring to a simmer, never a boil. Skim constantly for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 3 hours. Add katsuobushi and steep 5 minutes. Strain through fine mesh.
Make shoyu tare: combine soy sauce, tamari, and mirin in a small pan. Bring just to a simmer. Cool.
Season broth with tare to taste — start with 3 tbsp per 400ml broth. Adjust.
Cook noodles separately per package. Rinse briefly in cold water to stop cooking.
Warm bowls, add noodles, pour hot broth. Top with chashu, half an egg, nori, and menma.
2-hour version using chicken backs instead of pork trotters. Still rich, still real. For when you can't do the full 18-hour odyssey.
18-hour pork bone broth. Creamy, rich, cloudy white. This is a weekend project, not a weeknight dinner. Worth every hour.
Crispy bottom, steamed top, juicy inside. The potsticker technique makes them perfect every time.
Minced shrimp filling with ginger and chives. Pan-fried and steamed the same way. More delicate than pork, quicker to cook.