The Heritage Soki Soba
ソーキそば·(sōki soba)
Obaa's Pot on the Stove: Slow-Simmered Weekend Comforts
This is the unvarnished taste of a Naha kitchen, forcefully transplanted to an Ohio suburb. The secret to Okinawan cooking isn't tracking down obscure indigenous ingredients; it is the uncompromising respect paid to the pork. By aggressively parboiling the ribs to strip away the gaminess, then marrying the clean secondary cooking water with a quick bonito broth, you build a profoundly complex soup that tastes like a three-day labor of love in just over an hour. An electric pressure cooker isn't cheating—it's exactly what modern Okinawan grandmothers use to coax melt-in-your-mouth tenderness from a stubborn rib on a weeknight.
Before you start
Ask the butcher to cross-cut the ribs.
If Nankotsu Soki cartilage ribs are completely unavailable, standard pork spare ribs cross-cut into 2-inch chunks will do the job beautifully. Thick-cut pork belly works in a pinch.
Ingredients
- pork spare ribs1 1/2 lb
- ginger1 large
- scallions1 bunch
- water6 cup
- soy sauce1/3 cup
- awamori or dry sake1/3 cup
- dark brown sugar3 tbsp
- water4 cup
- bonito flakes1 cup
- kombu1 med
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- fresh thick Chinese egg noodles4 portion
- kamaboko1/2 med
- beni shoga1/4 cup
- koregusu or chili oil1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Parboil the ribs to strip away impurities.
Bring a large pot of water to a violent boil. Drop the ribs in for three to five minutes until the exterior turns opaque and gray scum surfaces. Drain and rinse under cold running water, rubbing away any congealed blood from the bone.
- 02
Pressure cook the pork with ginger and scallions to yield a clear, collagen-rich broth.
Place the washed ribs in the pressure cooker with six cups of fresh water, the sliced ginger, and the scallion greens. Cook on high pressure for twenty minutes, then allow a ten-minute natural release.
- 03
Separate the tender ribs from the liquid and skim the fat.
Set the pork aside. Strain the liquid into a bowl, discarding the aromatics. To easily skim the fat, place the bowl in the freezer for fifteen minutes until a solid white disc forms on the surface, then discard it.
- 04
Braise the pork in a savory-sweet reduction until sticky.
In a wide skillet, combine the soy sauce, awamori, dark brown sugar, and a half cup of your skimmed pork stock. Simmer vigorously over medium heat, turning the ribs until the liquid reduces by eighty percent and coats the meat entirely.
- 05
Steep the bonito flakes and kombu to create the essential oceanic counterpoint.
Bring four cups of water and the kombu to a bare simmer in a separate pot. Remove the kombu just before boiling, add the bonito flakes, boil for thirty seconds, then kill the heat. Steep for two minutes and strain.
- 06
Marry the broths.
In a large soup pot, mix four cups of the skimmed pork stock with three cups of the dashi. Add the salt and light soy sauce, holding at a gentle simmer. It should taste deeply savory and slightly oceanic.
- 07
Boil the noodles and assemble the dish.
Cook the noodles according to their package. Divide among four deep bowls, ladle the hot hybrid broth over the top, and crown with the glazed ribs, kamaboko, beni shoga, and scallion whites. Instruct the eater to add a few drops of koregusu before diving in.
Notes
Make your own Koregusu with standard chili and liquor.
If you cannot find Okinawan island peppers, fill a small jar halfway with dried red chilies, top to the brim with dry sake or vodka, add a pinch of salt, and stash it in the pantry for three weeks. The fiery tincture will cut through the rich broth perfectly.
Fake the alkaline chew if you cannot find proper wheat noodles.
Spread a half cup of baking soda on foil and bake at 250 degrees for one hour. Boiling standard linguine in water spiked with a tablespoon of this baked soda transforms Western pasta into a springy, yellow facsimile of Asian noodles.
From Cook Okinawan in America.