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Okinawa soba with soki
沖縄そば (soki soba): thick wheat noodles in a pork and bonito broth under tender glazed spare ribs
Okinawa soba has nothing to do with buckwheat: the noodles are thick, chewy and made from wheat, and the dish is the islands' everyday lunch. Small soba shops all over Okinawa serve it in a clear, gentle broth of pork and bonito, and the soki version is crowned with spare ribs braised so long that even the cartilage turns soft. Slices of fishcake, spring onions and red pickled ginger finish the bowl, and every table has a bottle of chilli steeped in awamori to splash on. October 17 is Okinawa Soba Day on the islands. Chef's tip: braise the ribs a day ahead; cold, the fat sets on top of the cooking liquid and lifts off in one piece, and the broth is cleaner for it.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soki (spare ribs)
- 1 ¾ lb pork spare ribscut into 5 cm pieces between the bones
- 10 ½ cups water
- 1 oz gingersliced
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp awamori or sakecontains alcohol; see step 6 for an alcohol-free swap
For the broth
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi)
For the bowls
- 3 ½ oz Japanese fishcake (kamaboko)sliced
- 4 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 1 tsp chilli oil or chilli steeped in awamori (koregusu) (optional)
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Put 1 ¾ lb pork spare ribs in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse each piece under warm water to remove the scum.
12 minStep 2: Wash the pot, add the ribs, 10 ½ cups water and 1 oz ginger and bring back to the boil. Turn down to a gentle simmer, partly covered.
5 minStep 3: Simmer until the meat is very tender and pulls easily from the bone, skimming off fat and froth from time to time.
75 minStep 4: Lift the ribs out of the pot. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and skim off as much fat as you can. This is the base of your broth; you need about 1.6 litres, so top up with water if needed.
5 minStep 5: Put the ribs in a small pan with 4 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp dark brown sugar, 3 tbsp awamori or sake and 200 ml of the rib broth.
2 minStep 6: Simmer over medium-low heat, turning the ribs often, until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze. Awamori is a strong Okinawan spirit and sake is also alcoholic; for an alcohol-free glaze use 3 tbsp water and an extra 1 tsp sugar instead.
20 minStep 7: Bring the remaining rib broth to the boil, turn off the heat and add 1 oz bonito flakes (katsuobushi). Leave to steep for 5 minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with kitchen paper without pressing the flakes. Common mistake: boiling the bonito flakes in the broth; it turns bitter and cloudy, so always steep them off the heat.
6 minStep 8: Season the broth with 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi). It should taste clean and gently savoury. Keep it hot.
2 minStep 9: Cook 1 ⅓ lb Okinawa soba noodles, or thick flat fresh ramen noodles in plenty of boiling water following the pack, usually 1 to 2 minutes for fresh Okinawa soba. Drain well.
3 minStep 10: Divide the noodles between 4 warmed bowls and ladle over 400 ml hot broth each. Top with the glazed ribs, 3 ½ oz Japanese fishcake (kamaboko), 4 spring onions and 4 tbsp red pickled ginger (beni shoga). Pass 1 tsp chilli oil or chilli steeped in awamori (koregusu) at the table.
3 minStep 11: If making ahead, cool the broth and ribs quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours, lift off the set fat and use within 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 760 kcal
- Protein
- 41 g
- Carbs
- 84 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does okinawa soba with soki take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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