• This tonkotsu broth is super delicious as is, but depending on what I have in my pantry and fridge when I make it, I’ll sometimes add a little more of “this and that” like trimmed fat from Prosciutto di Parma, or a slice of bacon or speck for a slightly smoky flavor.  If you want to add a few more shitake mushrooms or scallions, go ahead. If you’re out of leeks, sub onions, or more scallions. Feel free to substitute chicken feet and/or chicken wings for the chicken backs if you can’t find them. If you don’t have bonito flakes, just leave them out. And you can also add a piece or two of uncured pork belly, or 1/2 pound (225g) unsalted pork back fat to give the finished broth even more flavor and slurpy mouthfeel. You get the idea, it’s a versatile broth with room to put your own spin on it.
• I’ve cooked this broth for 8 hours, but feel free to cook it for as few as 6 hours and as much as 13 hours (which I’ve also done). If you cook it for 12 to 13 hours, you’ll need to add water back to it to make it less sludgy (unless you like your ramen really thick). 
• If you do add a slab of pork fatback, be sure to remove it from the strained broth and chop it on a cutting board until it looks creamy and almost paste-like. Add it back to the strained broth and season it with tare.
• Save and repurpose old bottles of soy sauce to store your homemade tares in (the ones with the little pour spouts with a plastic seal like Kikkoman). Not only are they airtight, but they drizzle a little at a time which is perfect for placing on the table in case someone wants a little extra.

How to Make Each Tare (Shoyu, Shio Ramen and Miso)

Making homemade tare is a very personal thing so feel free to play around with the ingredients to make it your own. You can use the below recipes as a guideline or use them just as they are. For this tonkotsu broth, shoyu tare is the most common, but I’ve used all of the tares below and they’re each super tasty. Make one or two if you want and see which one you enjoy the most. I’m providing smaller portions, but feel free to double the recipes here.

• • Basic Shoyu tare 1. 1 cup soy sauce (235ml), 2 tablespoons mirin (30g), and 1 1/2 tablespoons (18.5g) brown or granulated sugar. Heat the ingredients over low heat to dissolve the salt and feel free to add aromatics like 1 scallion, 1 garlic clove, and a slice of ginger for even more flavor. Allow the aromatics to steep for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Strain the solids before using. 
  • Basic Shoyu tare 2. 3 tablespoons (45g) soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin (45g), 1 tablespoon kosher salt (15g).  Stir the ingredients together. You may add extra umami by adding one dried shitake or porcini mushroom and 1 teaspoon of bonito flakes (or more to taste) and bring the mixture to a boil, turning off the heat, and allowing the aromatics to steep for 30 minutes or overnight. Strain the solids before using. 
  • Cheater’s Shoyu tare. Use leftover strained chashu pork braising liquid as is, or reheat it in a small pot over medium heat until it’s reduced by about half if you want a thicker tare. This is a perfect way to use up the umami-rich chashu braising liquid.
  • Shio tare (for Shio ramen). 1/2 cup dashi stock (118g), 1/4 cup sake (60g), 2 tablespoons mirin (30g), 2 tablespoons kosher salt (15g). Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring them to a boil. Turn off the heat use immediately or allow the flavors to develop overnight. As with all of these tares, you can play around with flavor, adding 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and 2 dried shitake mushrooms for even more umami flavor.
  • Miso tare (for Miso ramen). 1/2 cup white miso paste (145g), 2 tablespoons mirin (30g), 2 tablespoons Japanese sesame paste (30g) (sub tahini, or all-natural unsweetened peanut butter), 1 tablespoon sake (15g) (sub Shaoxing wine if that’s all you’ve got), 2 teaspoons Japnese chili paste or Sriracha (8g), or more to taste. Feel free to also add 1/4 cup of dashi stock (60g). Mix everything together and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. I typically use white miso for tare which is more delicate than its red counterpart but feel free to use 1/2 white and 1/2 red or whatever you have. 
  • Miso tare w/aromatics (for Miso ramen). 1/2 cup white miso paste (145g), 2 tablespoons mirin (30g), 2 tablespoons Japanese sesame paste (30g) (sub tahini, or all-natural unsweetened peanut butter), 1 tablespoon sake (15g) (sub Shaoxing wine if that’s all you’ve got), 2 teaspoons Japnese chili paste or Sriracha (8g), or more to taste, 1 white scallion sliced, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger, or more to taste. Add everything except the miso to the bowl of a food processor and blend until it’s a nice smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepot and cook stirring constantly so as not to burn it for about 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Transfer everything back to a bowl, add the miso paste and whisk to combine. Store in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container with a piece of parchment in direct contact with the tare to avoid ice crystals forming. I typically use white miso for tare which is more delicate than its red counterpart but feel free to use 1/2 white and 1/2 red or whatever you have. 
  • Overnight Dashi Stock (for Shio & Miso tare).  2 cups water (470g), one 2×2 inch piece of kombu kelp (5×5 cm), 1 cup bonito flakes (8g). Rinse the kombu and add all of the ingredients to a sealable container and refrigerate overnight. Strain it through a fine mesh strainer before using it. This makes about 1 1/2 cups more than what you’ll need for the shio tare, and 1 3/4 cups more for the miso tare (if you even want to use it). You may use any leftover dashi stock for a tasty miso soup by adding the desired amount of miso paste to the broth and heating it up. Use dashi stock within 2 to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

How to Store Tonkotsu Ramen Broth

Tonkotsu ramen broth can be made 2 or 3 days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to reheat and eat. Or you may portion and freeze it for much longer. Although it’s not normal for us to have ramen broth in the freezer for longer than 3 months, I did an experiment and left the tonkotsu (pictured in this post) in the freezer in a tempered glass canning jar for exactly 1 year (really). And it was just as good one year later as it was the day I made it. If you use a tempered glass canning jar to store your tonkotsu broth in the freezer, be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch of headspace because the liquid expands as it freezes. If you don’t leave a little empty space, the jar can break as the liquid freezes and expands. 

How to Store Tare for Tonkotsu Ramen Broth

Refrigerate unused basic shoyu tare in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or in the freezer for up to a few months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before gently reheating it over a low flame until no longer cold. *If you’re making a “cheater’s shoyu tare” using leftover chashu pork braising liquid or adding any fresh vegetables like scallions, ginger, or garlic to your tare, it will not keep in the refrigerator as long as a traditional shoyu tare which doesn’t have any meat, meat byproducts, or fresh ingredients in it. You’ll need to store this kind of tare in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and in the freezer for longer storage.