Okinawa Soba

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Place the pork belly in a large pot and add 4 cups water (or just enough to cover the meat).

Step 3

Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until you start to see foams and scums floating on the surface. Drain and quickly rinse the meat and the pot under running water.

Step 4

Place the meat back to the same pot, and add 6 cups water (roughly 2 cups will evaporate and we’ll need 4 cups stock at the end of simmering). Bring it to a boil.

Step 5

Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Skim off the scum and foam floating on the surface.

Step 6

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add 2 cups water and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and add 1 cup (10 g) katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Cook for 15 seconds and turn off the heat. This is katsuo dashi. Set aside to steep a bit more until it’s ready to use.

Step 7

After 1 hour of simmering, take out the meat and cover it with aluminum foil. Set aside until the meat is cool enough to cut.

Step 8

Strain the pork broth through a fine mesh sieve and reserve 4 cups into a measuring cup. You can save the leftover pork broth for Champon or soup (strain and freeze it). Put the 4 cups of pork broth back in the pot.

Step 9

Strain katsuo dashi through a fine-mesh sieve. Bring the soup broth to a boil.

Step 10

Once boiling, lower the heat and add 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp salt. Mix well and taste the soup broth and see if you need more salt (or soy sauce). Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Set aside.

Step 11

Once the pork belly is cool enough to handle, cut it into thin slices (3-5 mm).

Step 12

In a clean small saucepan, add 2 Tbsp black sugar and 2 Tbsp awamori.

Step 13

Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp water. Mix all together and bring it to a boil.

Step 14

Lower the heat and add the pork belly slices and quickly coat with the sauce.

Step 15

Place the otoshibuta (drop lid) on top of the meat. Cook on low heat for 25-30 minutes until the sauce is almost evaporated. If you don’t want to use the oOtoshibuta (You can make a homemade otoshibuta with aluminum foil), you will need to double the sauce ingredients to make sure the pork is covered. With the otoshibuta, you don’t need too much sauce to season the meat. Otoshibuta also lets moisture slowly evaporate and helps the sauce liquid circulate as it hits the lid and goes back down to the sauce.

Step 16

Cut the green onion into thin rounds. Slice the fish cake diagonally into thin slices.

Step 17

Boil the noodles according to the package instructions. I cook slightly less time than indicated cooking time. Make sure to use hands to separate the noodles before adding to the boiling water. With chopsticks, constantly separate the noodles in the water.

Step 18

Pick up the noodles with a fine mesh sieve (or drain the noodles into a colander in the sink). Make sure the noodles are well-drained so excess water won’t dilute the soup. Place the noodles in a serving bowl.

Step 19

Pour the pork/dashi soup broth over the noodles. Place the stewed pork belly slices atop. Top with fish cakes, green onions, and red pickled ginger. Serve immediately.

Step 20

You can keep the toppings and soup in separate airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days and in the freezer for a month. Noodles have to be prepared fresh before serving.