Hiroyuki

Kind of hard to answer. I did an extensive search and found those recipes. Two of them are by ramen geeks, and one by an interesting man who likes to make all sorts of foodstuff by himself. I simply assumed their recipes to be good. Well, to tell you the truth, the biggest reason why I posted the recipes on RecipeGullet, not here, is that I didn't want to do all the conversion from the metric to US units! Besides, once I submitted them there, I can always update them to reflect any developments in the future. No?

Turmeric, who says she is hooked on curry, also provided a link to this site (Japanese only). This restaurant in Osaka serves what they call 'hyaku-jikan curry' (100-hour curry) (700 yen). The curry takes 100 hours (about 4 days) to make, and they add a secret ingredient that they call 'kuro' (black).

I am surprised that you would vouch for recipes that you had not personally prepared. Why would you post these? ← I read the RecipeGullet copyright and use policy, and I thought it would be OK to post them there. Am I wrong? If so, I will have them deleted.

Someone named Turmeric told me that she was hooked on soup curry. I didn't know anything about it. I did some googling and found that it is a specialty of Sapporo. http://www.sapporo-factory.co.jp/travel/en/hokkaido/ Scroll down and read under 03. Turmeric provided me with video. (Japanese only) Very interesting!

I finally found this website, which torakris previously provided somewhere else.

Well, I think it's a great recipe. I can never bring myself to follow that recipe, though. In Japan, there are some yoshoku restaurants that spend a whole week making curry roux. Just one example: http://www.ctv.co.jp/gourmet/shop/2000/0921/06.html (Japanese only). ← I searched and searched for some time, but I couldn't find any recipe that takes a whole week. So, I asked for help on this forum. Turmeric kindly provided me with some information. She suggested that the recipe I was searching for might be this one. (Japanese only) The recipe says that it consists of four stages: curry roux making, soup making, mixing, and seasoning, which take 2 to 3 days, 2 to 3 + 1 = 3 to 4 days, 1 day, and 1 to 2 hours, respectively, so it takes 6 to 8 days in total. I don't want to translate such a long recipe, so I used this translator to translate it. Results: I'm sure you don't want to try this one.

Thanks so much Hiroyuki! I'm looking forward to hearing their response.... ← I received a reply from Tokukei Group today. Unfortunately, not much information... Part of the reply: Regarding the soy tare you inquired about, we checked and found that it is Okinawa Goen's original tare. Since you eat yakiniku by dipping in it, it seems to be a tare made after much trial and error so its taste won't be persistent. Original:

Yes. KitKat sounds like kitto katsu (sure to win). There are some others like Carl (sounds like ukaru (pass or accepted) when preceded by an 'u' sound), Xylitol Gum (sounds like kicchiri tooru (pass assuredly), and Koala no March (A koala never falls off a tree.) Edited to add: In Japanese, when we say 'fail an exam', we use the verb ochiru (to fall or drop).

KitKat Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Flavor Released on January 10, this year. Only available in the juken (entrance exam) season. Sorry, no photo from me. Someone post a photo, please!

I checked out the thread and it says "The reason for this extra first boil step is to remove the 'cloudiness' in the soup, which is caused by impurity and blood." I know that this sort of blanching is common in stocks where clarity is important. I wonder if any ramen-ya have cooking classes? Or do they want to protect their trade secrets? I would love to apprentice at a ramen-ya but I don't think this type of work is available to a foreigner. ← Sorry, hzrt8w didn't explicitly say so. But it is true that the initial blanching and the subsequent removal of blood and the like are required to get rid of the odor. And it's also true that Japanese leeks (negi), ginger, garlic, and so on are used to deodorize the bones. As for cooking classes, I did a quick google search and found one ramen-ya owner. Besides a ramen-ya, he also runs other businesses, and seems like an interesting man. http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~fujisige/ (Japanese only) He once offered classes only for those who wanted to open a ramen-ya, but now also offers classes for those interested in ramen making. The tuition ranges from 100,000 to 500,000 yen(!) depending on which classes you are taking. He says he started to study English when he turned 60. http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~fujisige/eigo.html So..., why don't you give him English lessons and take his ramen classes for free?! To email him, just click on メール at the bottom of the first website I provided a link to. Good luck!

Thank you, wesza, for your reply. Thus, simmer -> paitan soup rolling boil -> tonkotsu soup I submitted this recipe and two others to RecipeGullet. The problem is that I haven't tried any of them.

Hmm, can't believe it's your first attempt. Everything must have cost you dear... What's in the futomaki? Fried egg, fake crab meat, cucumber, and ...

I submitted this recipe on RecipeGullet: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1560.html and two others. The problem is, I have not tried any one of them, and I have no intention of trying it, either. Anyone up for the challenge?

Tonkotsu ramen soup 3 This is another recipe for tonkotsu soup, with a boiling-down time of 12 hours. It is based on this recipe: http://www.mendo.jp/origin/040612/soup.html (Japanese only) 2.2 kg ham bone 1-1/2 kg thigh bone 1.3 kg back bone 50 g garlic, cut in half 100 g carrot 25 g Japanese leek (negi) 10 g ginger 1 red pepper 12 l water 30 g Laus kelp 40 g Hidaka kelp 10 g dried scallop 4 l water Kelp dashi: 1. Wipe the kelps gently with a dry cloth. 2. Soak the kelps and scallops in cold water for 15 hours. Tonkotsu soup: 1. Put the bones in boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (or until the water boils again). 2. Drain the bones. Wash off any innards, blood, and other impurities under cold running water. 3. Break the bones with a hummer or something similar. 4. Put the bones and other ingredients in a pot, add water, and bring to a boil. 5. Skim off foam. Keep at a rolling boil. Add additional water, if necessary. 6. In about 8 hours, add the dashi (but not the kelps and scallops) to the pot. Keep at a rolling boil again for another 4 hours, to reduce the soup to 5 liters. Keywords: Japanese, Pork ( RG1562 )

Tonkotsu ramen soup 2 Serves 5 as Main Dish. This is another recipe for tonkotsu soup, with a boiling-down time of 3 hours. It is based on this recipe: http://www.ajiwai.com/index.htm (Japanese only) 2 pork bone 2 hand of pork (optional) 1 chiken bone 1 Japanese leek (negi) 1 clove ginger 3-1/2 l water 1. Put the bones in boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (or until the water boils again). 2. Drain the bones. Wash off any innards, blood, and other impurities under cold running water. 3. Break the bones with a hummer or something similar. 4. Put the bones and other ingredients in a pot, add water, and bring to a boil. 5. Skim off foam. Keep at a rolling boil for 3 hours, until the 3.5-liter soup reduces to 2 liters. Keywords: Japanese, Pork ( RG1561 )

Good question! The purpose of the initial boiling is to get rid of the odor of the bones. Did you check out this thread? Two techniques essential to tonkotsu soup making are 'double boiling' and 'rolling boil'.

Tonkotsu ramen soup Tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen, once local to the Kyushu area of Japan, is now quite popular throughout Japan. Its main feature is its white milky soup. All recipes for tonkotsu ramen soup call for both 'double boiling' and 'rolling boil' steps. Double boiling is required to get rid of the odor of the bones, while a rolling boil is required to make sure that water and fat mix together in the pot and the marrow from the bones becomes gelatinous and acts as a fat emulsifier, making the soup nice and milky. Usually, thigh bones are used to make this soup because they contain more marrow than other parts of pork. Other pork bones, chicken bones, and kelp may be used to give additional flavor. Some nice description of double boiling can be found here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79713 Here I present one tokotsu soup recipe with a boiling-down time of 6 hours. Later, I will submit two others, with boiling-down times of 3 and 12 hours, respectively. This particular recipe is based on this one: http://www.mendo.jp/origin/020630/ (Japanese only). 1 kg pork rib 2 Japanese leek (negi); Use only the upper, green portions. 1 carrot, diced 1/2 onion, skinned 1/2 bulb garlic, skinned 1/2 bulb ginger, sliced, un-skinned 7 l water 1. Put the bones in boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (or until the water boils again). 2. Drain the bones. Wash off any innards, blood, and other impurities under cold running water. 3. Break the bones with a hummer or something similar. 4. Put the bones and other ingredients in a pot, add water, and bring to a boil. 5. Skim off foam. Keep at a rolling boil for 6 hours. Keywords: Japanese, Pork ( RG1560 )

It's good to know we have someone like you. Would you care to share your recipe? As for me, I changed my mind and decided to present three different recipes with different cooking times (3, 6, and 12 hours).

Oh, Helen, are you feeling better now? お疲れ様でした to your recent blogging! And, thank you for your photos of Kita Kogane and the pickle shops. This is going to be a lot of fun. Another cook-off? Anyone interested? I have no intention of making tonkotsu ramen from scratch, though!

I don't know. Never tried... Anyone? ← I suspect the rice would harden somewhat, like when you have leftover chirashi zushi. If it were me, I would leave some extra rice in the rice cooker (warming overnight) and mix a fresh batch the next day. One more thing, I would suggest adding your vinegar mixture a little at a time and tasting as you go. Keep in mind that the flavors will be more prominent as the rice cools down. Good luck! ← I would keep the rice in the cooker (but not warm it) and warm it in the microwave the next day. In fact, this is what I do when I have a sudden craving for temaki zushi.

I really don't know anything about the rice varieties available in your country. Different varities were discussed here in the Japan Forum. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=954923 As for the rice-to-water ratio, all you need is follow the scale of the inner pot of the rice cooker. I confirmed that the ratio should be 1:1.1 to 1:1.2, so 3 1/4 cups of water may be a little too much. As for the sushi-zu ratio, it's really something that you learn by doing. There can be as many ratios as there are sushi shops, and I think yours is a good starting point. I started at the ratio that I picked up from a magazine, but now I just don't measure the amounts. I think I use a little more vinegar, less sugar (about a half), and a little less salt because I like sour, less sweet shari (vinegard rice), and what's wrong with that? That's what home-made sushi is all about. Mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl beforehand. When the rice is cooked, transfer it to another container (wooden, preferably) and add the mixture while the rice is still hot (within 10 minutes after it's cooked). Mix well by using a shamoji (rice paddle) in a cutting motion for about 45 seconds. At this stage, never use a fan. Then, use a fan for 1 minute to cool the shari and prevent it from becoming soggy. Let it cool for 20 minutes. I don't know. Never tried... Anyone?

Oh, paitan ramen! Yes, I think so. How was it?

Can anyone tell us how to make baitan (paitan)? ← Just reading the descriptions from the webpage... We typically make pork bone soup using a "double boiling" (or "twice boiling") method, as illustrated in this pictorial recipe: Pork Butt Bone Soup with Kabocha (南瓜豬骨湯) Since you just want the soup, skip all the other ingredients. (But in order for the soup to taste good, we must use some other ingredients to cook with the pork bones.) ← Thank you for the link, jzrt9w. Quite educational. Double boiling! Yes, that's exactly what they do to make tonkotsu soup. I didn't know there was such a 'technical term' for the step. Thank God this forum has a specialist!

AzianBrewer, is your broth whitish and milky like tonkotsu soup? If not, would you care to try my recipe once it's completed? Jason, my recipe will be based on this one, not the one I previously provided a link to. Still working on it.

No, just store-bought 'yakiniku no tare' for me. Yours sounds promising. But the question is not the sauce that marinates the meat but one of the condiments. I haven't received a reply from the restaurant yet. I think I'll send them a reminder later.