Chicken Ramen Stock (Chintan)

Instructions

1. 1

   Roughly chop or break the carcass into smaller pieces. Put all chicken bones and trimmings into a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain everything. Rinse the bones under cold water and scrub off any residue. Clean the pot.

   Tip: This removes blood and impurities and gives you a much cleaner, clearer broth. Don't skip this — it's the difference between cloudy soup and proper chintan.

2. 2

   Put the cleaned chicken parts back into the pot. Add 2–3 L of fresh cold water, the sliced ginger, and chopped spring onions. Bring it slowly to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer. The water should barely tremble — no rolling boil.

   Tip: Starting cold lets the flavour extract gradually. Dumping bones into hot water tightens the proteins and traps flavour inside.

3. 3

   Maintain a gentle simmer for 4–5 hours. Keep the bones mostly covered with water and top up with hot water if needed. Skim any foam that rises to the surface.

   Tip: Don't violently boil it. A hard boil emulsifies the fat and turns your clear chintan into a cloudy paitan.

4. 4

   Strain the broth through a fine sieve. You should end up with roughly 1.5–2 litres of concentrated, golden stock. Do not salt it yet. Keep the stock relatively neutral — the final ramen flavour should come from the tare, not from the broth itself. Let it cool and refrigerate.

   Tip: A good chicken stock will set to a jelly — that's the collagen talking, and it's exactly what you want.

5. 5

   Don't throw away the chicken skin and fat from the breakdown. Render it slowly in a pan with a slice of ginger and a piece of spring onion over low heat until all the fat has melted out. Strain and store.

   Tip: A spoonful of this drizzled on top of a finished bowl adds a rich, savoury sheen and that last layer of chicken flavour that ties everything together.