Having a bowl of Creamy Garlic Tonkatsu is like having a bowl of chicken soup. It’s good for the soul and warms you up on a cold, rainy day. Besides, it’s packed with nutrients that help safeguard your body against the common cold. The fragrant broth is just irresistible and is common comfort food for the Japanese.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of pig trotters cut into 1-inch disks
- 2 pounds of chicken bones, leave some meat
- 1 pound slab pork fatback
- 1 large onion roughly chopped with skin on
- 12 garlic cloves, smashed
- One knob of ginger, approx. 3 inch, roughly chopped
- 2 whole leeks, roughly chopped
- 6 ounces of whole mushrooms
- 2 dozen scallions, white parts only
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Instructions:
- Boil the pork and chicken bones at room temperature in a large pot over high heat. Turn the heat to medium once the water is boiling.
- Let the bones simmer. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until lightly smoked. Add onions, garlic, and ginger into the skillet and cook until the ingredients are charred on most sides for about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
- Check on the pots of bones. After boiling for 15 minutes, clean the broth by removing any coagulated blood. Drain the water and rinse off the bones using cold water.
- Place the bones into the same pot along with charred onion and garlic, leeks, white scallion, mushrooms, and pork fatback. Add cold water to the mix and let it boil under high heat. Use moist paper towels to remove any scum forming around the rim of the pot. Reduce heat to simmer and place the top on.
- Check the pot every 15 minutes. Boil until the pork fatback is tender for about 4 hours. Then remove the pork fat from the pot and store in a container for refrigeration. Continue cooking until the broth has a light creamy texture for another 6 to 8 hours longer.
- Once the broth is ready, cook over high heat until the water is reduced to around ¾ and strain the soup into a clean pot. Discard all the ingredients.
- To serve, chop the pork fatback into the broth and garnish with condiments of your choice like soy sauce or chilli oil. Serve with cooked ramen noodles and fresh vegetables. You can also serve it with udon.
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