Chashu is one of those toppings we always wish there was more of in the bowl! It's tender, full of flavour and has the perfect texture for ramen.
Whenever we talk about ramen, chashu is nearly always on our list of favourite toppings!
What is chashu?
Chashu is a traditional ramen topping, very common in a typical Japanese bowl of ramen. It's made from pork belly, rolled and braised in a tasty mix of mirin, sugar and soy sauce.
Once cooked, it's left to cool and then thinly sliced before serving.
In some versions chashu is cut into cubes (kakuni), and in others it's opened out and sliced lengthways like bacon.
History of the topping
It originally comes from China, where it's known as char siu. The Chinese version is sweet and savoury grilled pork. Later the dish was taken up by Japanese cooking, where it's braised instead of grilled.
Truth is, there isn't much documentation on how char siu made its way to Japan. Some think it arrived through trade, since it was a fairly cheap dish (and ingredient). Whatever the case, it took on a new life and personality within ramen culture.
Why chashu goes so well with ramen
There are three main reasons why chashu goes so well with ramen.
Texture
The distinctive texture of well-cooked chashu comes from the ingredients it's braised in. Salty liquids like soy sauce tend to draw moisture out of the meat. But because pork belly is fatty, it stays moist and rich even when most of the water has evaporated. That gives chashu a tender, crumbly texture that contrasts nicely with the texture of the noodles
Savouriness
Braising cooks the fat very slowly. Since pork belly has a lot of fat, slow cooking lets the fat seep gradually into the meat, flavouring it from the inside. It also stops the meat drying out. All this gives chashu a distinctive richness you don't get from other cuts of meat. The saltiness of the soy sauce and the fruity sweetness of the mirin add to its savouriness. What makes chashu great in ramen is that it doesn't overpower the savouriness of an already rich broth, as with tonkotsu.
Flavour
The flavour of chashu depends on the proportions of the ingredients. It can be slightly different from place to place, but one thing's for sure: it's always mouth-watering! It's the perfect combination of savouriness, depth and flavour. You'd expect it to be sweeter, with the sugars in the sake and mirin caramelising, but surprisingly its sweetness is moderate.
Which ramen broth goes best with chashu, and how common is it as a topping?
With its tender texture and rounded flavour, chashu goes well with every kind of ramen, for different reasons.
For example, it goes well with shoyu ramen because its savouriness balances the tang of the broth. It goes with shio ramen because it livens up the broth.
For us, though, the best match is with tonkotsu! In our view it's the most natural pairing, especially when you think how well the savouriness of chashu goes with pork bone broth.
