Ingredients:
• 6 chicken legs
• 3 large carrots, halved
• 2 onions, quartered
• 4 cm piece ginger, sliced
• olive oil
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2lb piece pork shoulder (thick layer of fat removed), halved
Seasoning:
• 1 tbsp mirin
•1 tbsp saké
• 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
Directions:
• Heat oven to 390F/200C.
•Put the chicken, carrots, onions and ginger in a large roasting tin.
• Sprinkle with seasoning, drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 30 mins.
• Transfer everything from the tin, including the fat and juices, to a large saucepan.
• Add the shiitake mushrooms and the pork, and pour in 3 litres of cold water.
• Bring to the boil and turn down to the lowest simmer you can.
• After the foamy scum rises to the top, skim it off with a ladle and discard.
• Part-cover with a lid.
• Let it simmer for 3 hrs but remove the pork after about 2½ hrs, or when it is very soft, and set aside.
• Strain the stock into a clean pan.
• Save the chicken and use it for something else.
• Boil for another 30-40 mins on a medium heat to reduce by a third, then skim the excess fat off. Add about 1 tsp salt and taste to see if it needs more.
Note: To substitute mirin, add between 1 and 2 tablespoons of sugar to 1/2 cup of white wine, vermouth, or dry sherry to replace 1/2 cup of mirin.
