Motsunabe

Step 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb beef small intestine (shimacho) in a bowl, sprinkle with 2 tbsp plain flour and 1 tbsp coarse salt and rub well with your hands for 2 minutes to lift off slime and smell. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Wash your hands, board and the sink afterwards, as you would with any raw meat.

Step 2: Put the intestine in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil over high heat and boil for 5 minutes, skimming off the grey froth.

Step 3: Drain, rinse in warm water and cut into bite-sized pieces about 3 cm long if they are not already. Common mistake: skipping the parboil, even with pre-cleaned offal; the scum and the farmyard smell end up in the broth, so always blanch and rinse first.

Step 4: Pour 4 ¼ cups dashi or unsalted chicken stock into a wide, shallow pot or donabe and add 5 tbsp soy sauce and ½ tsp salt.

Step 5: Add 3 tbsp mirin and 2 tbsp sake. Both contain alcohol; for an alcohol-free broth leave out the sake and replace the mirin with 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water. For the miso version popular in Hakata, use 4 tbsp mixed miso in place of the soy sauce and salt.

Step 6: Bring the broth to the boil, add the intestine and 7 oz firm tofu, then pile 14 oz white or pointed cabbage high in the middle of the pot.

Step 7: Lay 3 ½ oz garlic chives (nira) over the cabbage in a neat bundle and scatter 4 cloves garlic and 2 dried red chillies on top.

Step 8: Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the cabbage has collapsed into the broth and the intestine is piping hot right through, with its fat turned soft and translucent.

Step 9: Sprinkle with 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, bring the pot to the table and serve the offal, vegetables and broth into small bowls.

Step 10: When most of the pot has been eaten, add 10 ½ oz champon noodles or thick fresh ramen noodles to the remaining broth and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Serve the noodles with the last of the soup.