Tori Paitan Ramen - hearty Japanese chicken ramen broth
they say time is of the essence. we say, time MAKES the essence
WARNING: this recipe is not for the faint of heart (or if you’re simply looking to ONLY cook quick and easy recipes)
our recent content collaboration with Haris, Chef-owner of Ono Ramen & Kulon was so much fun (and tedious!)
Haris, a 30-year old noodle entrepreneur revealed to us his SECRET recipe for Tori Paitan broth, an elaborate chicken broth base which stands on its own as the perfect halal option for ramen. this broth, however, is the base for all his Indonesian-fusion ramens in the menu at Ono Ramen.
Tori Paitan represents a cloudy chicken soup which is full of collagen, extracted from the chicken parts (including bones, skin, muscle, tissue and fat) through a LONG process of cooking (8 HOURS IN TOTAL TO BE EXACT). the chicken bones then get blended into a ‘smoothie’ and then strained to get a rich chicken soup base. the result is a super umami, slightly viscous, precious broth which gives a slightly sticky feeling on the lips after it gets sipped.
as a ramen connoisseur, he educates us about the 5 MUST HAVE elements of a ramen, including the broth (tori paitan in this case), tare (seasoning base), mayu (aroma oil), noodles & toppings (such as meats & egg).
while the cooking process of the broth is long and the making of the other elements can be somewhat time consuming, we assure that every step of the way is worth the eating experience which comes after. makes sure to set aside a whole day for the making of this. the cooking of the other elements could be done concurrently as the broth cooks.
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Tori Paitan Ramen
(serves 4)
tori paitan broth:
1kg chicken bones, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
1kg chicken feet, cleaned
300g chicken fat
4 litres water
1 large leek, rough cut
30g ginger, sliced
5 pcs dried shiitake mushrooms
10g dried konbu
salt, to taste
tare (pronounce ‘taa-ray’)
100 ml light soy sauce (Japanese shoyu would be best)
20 ml halal mirin (optional)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp mushroom seasoning granules
aroma oil (mayu)
150g chicken fat
2 cloves garlic, smashed
20 ginger, sliced
5 pieces spring onion, sliced
for ramen egg (ajitsuke tamago)
4 eggs
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tbsp halal mirin seasoning
4 tablespoons water
1 bowl ice water
other accompaniments
4 portions fresh ramen noodles + boiling water
4 portions chicken chashu OR sliced smoked duck
4 spring onions, sliced
8 sheet nori seaweed
ground black pepper
directions
making broth
in a stockpot on medium heat, add the chicken fat pieces and let the oil render out fully until what is left is chicken solids and melted chicken grease. this may take about 15 to 20 minutes. using a spatula, fish out the solids and discard. to the fat, add the chicken bones and feet mix well until the bones start to brown.
add water, leek, ginger, dried shiitake & konbu. bring the mixture to a rolling boil on high heat while skimming out the scum which floats on top. cover the broth and let it boil vigorously for 4 hours. then, decrease the heat to low and let the broth simmer gently for another 4 hours. top up with water when necessary.
alternatively, if you’re using a pressure cooker, pressure cook for 2 hours FIRST followed by boiling the broth for 1 hour off pressure, covered.
after the full course of broth making, discard ginger, konbu and shitake, leaving the chicken bones inside. use a powerful immersion or a stand blender to pulverise all the bones until it become at thick and fine ‘slushie’.
then, pass the ‘slushie’ through a strainer and into another clean pot. press the solids using a spatula to get all the liquid out.
return the shiitake into the strained paitan broth and reheat it to a light simmer.
chicken bones simmering in water for 8 hours
preparing the mayu (aroma oil)
add chicken fat into a saucepan and render all the grease out. add the other mayu ingredients and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. strain out the solids and set the oil aside
rendering out the oil form chicken fat
making ajitsuke tamago
in a ziplock bag, mix the soy sauce with mirin and water. in a saucepan, bring water to a boil. add the eggs and cook for EXACTLY 6 minutes (use a timer). take the eggs out and immediately submerge in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
peel the eggs and add into bag of the soy sauce seasoning. seal tight and let it marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours. cut into halves before serving.
assembling the ramen
make the tare by stirring all the ingredients together in a bowl until dissolved. set aside.
boil a pot of water and cook the ramen noodles until soft but still chewy.
add 2 tbsp off the tare into a bowl and then add the cooked noodles.
check our other Japanese home-friendly recipe of Chicken Nanban here!:
Chicken Nanban - rich, creamy, oishii!
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