Cooking Chashu yourself – the heart of every Ramen Bowl

If there's one topping that can't be missing from a classic ramen bowl, it's chashu – melt-in-your-mouth tender braised pork belly, slowly cooked in a savory marinade. In Japan, it's one of the most popular side dishes and turns your soup into a real highlight. The best part: you can easily make chashu at home yourself!

Ein Stück dampfendes Chashu-Schweinefleisch wird mit Holzstäbchen aus einer Ramen-Schale gehoben, die Nudeln, Brühe, zwei halbierte weichgekochte Eier mit orangefarbenen Dottern und schwarzen Sesamsamen, grüne Lauchzwiebelringe und ein Noriblatt enthält.

The recipe

ingredients

1 kg pork belly (whole, with rind and fat)
5 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine, alternatively sherry + 1 tsp sugar)
5 tbsp sake (alternatively dry white wine)
3 tbsp brown sugar
500 ml water
1 piece ginger (approx. 5 cm, sliced)
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 spring onions (roughly chopped)

preparation

Prepare the pork belly
Roll the pork belly so that it forms an even roll (skin facing outwards). Tie it tightly with kitchen twine – this will help the meat retain its shape during braising.

Sear
Heat some oil in a large pot. Sear the rolled meat vigorously on all sides until a beautiful golden-brown crust forms.

Prepare the braising liquid
Add soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and water to the pot. Add ginger, garlic, and spring onions. Bring everything to a brief boil.

Braise
Reduce the heat and let the meat simmer, covered, for about 2 hours. Turn it occasionally so that the chashu absorbs the liquid evenly.

Cool & Slice
Let the meat cool in the braising liquid – this will make it even more flavorful. Afterwards, remove the kitchen twine and slice the chashu into thin pieces.

Tips from Ramenstar

⭐ Leave the chashu to marinate in the broth overnight, then slice it and freeze the slices flat in portions.
⭐ Use the remaining broth for ramen eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago).
⭐ For a quick ramen bar feeling in everyday life, simply thaw the slices and combine them lightning-fast with our ready-to-eat ramen kits!

Drei gerollte, goldbraun gebratene Chashu-Schweinebauchscheiben liegen auf einem dunklen Teller mit der Aufschrift RAMENSTAR. Im unscharfen Hintergrund dampft eine Schale Ramen mit Ei, Lauchzwiebeln und Nori.