Nakami Jiru

Before you start

• Massage the offal with flour and salt.

  Dump the flour and coarse kosher salt directly onto the raw pork intestines in a large, sturdy bowl. Plunge your hands in and knead vigorously, scrubbing the intestines against themselves until the flour binds to the lipids and turns into a sticky, grey paste.

• Rinse until squeaky clean.

  Transfer the intestines to a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water, peeling away the paste. Repeat the flour massage and rinse once more. The meat is ready when its surface literally feels squeaky clean under your fingers.

• Boil and discard the water.

  Place the washed intestines in a large pot, cover with fresh cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Let it foam and bubble for 5 minutes, then dump everything into a colander. Wash the pot clean, rinse the meat, and repeat this boil-and-discard process a second time to thermally purge any remaining impurities.

• Simmer until tender.

  Return the purified intestines to the clean pot along with the pork shoulder and 4 cups of fresh water. Simmer gently on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until a fork easily pierces the thickest part of the intestine.

• Cool, slice, and store.

  Remove the meat, reserving the cooking liquid in the pot—this is your pork dashi. Once cool enough to handle, cut the intestines and shoulder into thin, 2-inch matchsticks. If preparing on a weekend, freeze the sliced meat and the pork dashi in airtight containers until your weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

• pork bung1 1/2 lb
• lean pork shoulder1/2 lb
• all-purpose flour1 cup
• coarse kosher salt2 tbsp
• dried shiitake mushrooms5 med
• konnyaku block1 block
• kamaboko block1 small
• water4 cup
• strong katsuo dashi4 cup
• usukuchi shoyu1 tbsp
• sea salt1 1/2 tsp
• fresh ginger root1 med knob

Method

1. 01

   Hydrate the mushrooms.

   Soak the dried shiitake in warm water for about 30 minutes until fully plumped. Squeeze out the excess water, slice them thinly, and reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.

2. 02

   Neutralize the konnyaku.

   Konnyaku has a distinct alkaline smell that will ruin a clear broth. Rub the block with a heavy pinch of salt, rinse it, and boil it in plain water for 3 minutes. Drain, then slice it and the kamaboko into thin strips matching the meat.

3. 03

   Build the umami broth.

   In a large soup pot, combine 2 cups of your reserved pork dashi, the 4 cups of strong katsuo dashi, and the reserved shiitake soaking liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer.

4. 04

   Simmer the soup.

   Add the sliced intestines, pork shoulder, shiitake, konnyaku, and kamaboko. Season with the usukuchi shoyu and sea salt, then let it simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry without clouding the broth.

5. 05

   Garnish and serve.

   Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Top each serving with a generous pinch of freshly grated ginger to brighten the broth and tie everything together.

Notes

• Use light soy sauce.

  Usukuchi shoyu is absolutely crucial here. Regular dark soy sauce will turn the broth brown, destroying the elegant, clear sumashi aesthetic that defines this dish.

• Don't skip the dried shiitake.

  Fresh shiitake mushrooms lack the concentrated guanylic acid found in the dried ones. You need that specific compound to unlock the explosive umami synergy with the pork and bonito.

• Embrace the frozen aisle.

  Asking an English-speaking butcher for a pig's rectum is a barrier you do not need. Look for frozen pork bung at your local Asian market—it is accessible and entirely authentic to the diaspora experience.