Okinawa soba

Namiko Hirasawa Chen developed this Okinawa soba after visiting Okinawa, Japan. Her selected home version combines chewy supplied noodles, pork-and-bonito broth, stewed pork belly, fish cake and red pickled ginger.

The same pork belly is first pre-boiled in a separate water portion, drained and rinsed. It then simmers in fresh main stock water before being removed and sliced; the strained pork liquid is measured for the soup.

A separate water-and-bonito-flake dashi is strained into that same pork stock. Soy sauce and kosher salt season the combined broth, with adjustments made after tasting.

Dark muscovado, awamori, a separate soy-sauce portion and water make the pork-belly sauce. The same sliced meat cooks under a drop lid until the sauce has largely reduced.

Supplied Okinawa noodles are separately boiled and well drained before the pork-and-dashi soup is poured over them. Braised pork, diagonally cut Satsuma Age, green onion and tangy red ginger finish the hot noodle soup.