Have you heard of Soki Soba? If not, stay with me. If yes, well then of course you will read on.
Quick bit of background, Soki Soba is an iconic signature dish of Okinawa; ‘soki’ means ‘rib’ in the local Okinawan dialect, and ‘soba’, well means soba noodles (in Okinawa they are wheat noodles) – and it is probably one of the most tastiest of all Japanese ramens.
So if you follow me on Instagram you would of seen the couple of onslaught of stunning Okinawa pics from my week long journey across the STUNNING island. By now you obviously know I love travel, but if you know me (or have seen the size of me) you’ll also know that food is a close second favourite. Obviously one of the best things about living and working in Japan is the abundance of delicious food found across the whole country, with each prefecture having their own local delicacies and specialty dishes.
PS since I was talking about it, here’s one of the stunning pics from Okinawa!
Visiting Okinawa I ate stacks of food from Okinawa burgers, taco rice, seafood as well as sata andagi – Okinawa’s famous sweet donuts. But no matter where you go in Okinawa you will always stumble across stunning beaches, tropical forests, waterfalls Pork which is prominent in these archipelago islands, and the ever-popular Soki Soba. During my journey a lovely lady at a small roadside soba restaurant talked me through how she makes her Soki Soba, and with a few slight alterations/additions (such as adding garlic, which is not common in Japan), I present to you my stolen-repurposed recipe for Soki Soba Noodles. Ta-da!
Seriously, it’s super easy, it looks long but it only uses 13 ingredients and is an awesome dish to whip up on an easy weekend, and by cooking extra it can be frozen and then easily reheated for a quick weeknight meal is better than what you’re used to! If you love, like, loathe this recipe or wanna share your thoughts – or your own pic if you cook it, and trust me you should – leave a comment below or tag me (@theonehitwander) in your pic on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out! Now go forth, and cook!
Okinawan Soki Soba
A traditional, much-loved super delicious meal that is a signature dish of the tropical island of Okinawa!
For the Pork & Broth
- 800 g Pork Spare Ribs (on or off the bone)
- 3/4 cup Awamori (can substitute with Sake)
- 1 lg knob Ginger
- 1 Birds Eye Chilli ((optional))
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 packet Dashi (dash packet or powder)
To Assemble & Serve
- 100 g Bean Sprouts
- 1 dash Sesame Oil
- 1 bunch Spring Onions
- 1 packet Okinawan Soba Noodles (can substitute with other wheat based/soba noodles)
- 1 dash Chilli Oil (optional to serve)
- 1 tsp Pickled Ginger (optional to serve)
For the Pork
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Before starting, leave the pork at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Place the pork in a heavy-based saucepan/stock pot and fill with enough water to cover the pork and cook on high. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes then drain the pork and wash well with water, and discard the liquid.
The first boil is to get rid of any blood still in the meat.
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Pour 5 cups of water in the pot then add 1/4 cup of awamori (can substitute with sake or whiskey) and a small knob/few slices of ginger and begin to cook on high. If you’re like me and you prefer a slightly spicy soup this where you can add in one small chopped birds eye chilli. Add the pork to the liquid and bring it to a boil.
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Once boiling, reduce the heat to low then simmer the pork and broth for at least an hour and until the pork becomes tender. If using pork on the bone, try not to stir the liquid as the meat may fall of the bone. Whilst simmering for an hour, ensure the pork is covered with liquid at all times and skim off impurities as it slowly cooks away.
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Remove the pork and reserve the broth which will be used later for the soup base. Once the pork is cooled, if the pork is not on the bone, slice the pork into several thick pieces (about 1/2 inch thick), or however you like.
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Place the sliced pork in a pot or deep frypan and add 1/2 cup of the reserved pork broth, 1/2 cup of awamori, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mirin and some grated or sliced ginger. If you love garlic as much as I do (even though it is not common in Japan) this is where you can add 1 clove finely chopped garlic. Bring to glaze mixture to a boil then reduce to medium. Cook the pork in glaze for 20 minutes over a medium-low heat and turn occasionally as it cooks. Once the liquid is reduced to a sticky liquid, turn off the heat and set aside the pork.
For the Soup Base & to Assemble
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Pour 5 cups of the reserved pork broth into a pot and add one dashi packet (or dashi powder). If making dashi stock from dashi powder, you are looking at making 2 cups of dashi stock and combining it with 3 cups of pork broth – or you can mix the measurements to your taste. Personally I love strong pork based soups.
Add a dash of soy sauce and season with salt – make sure you taste it prior to adding salt, and adjust to your liking. This is the soup for the noodles so you want it bang on to your liking.
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In a separate frypan, sauté bean sprouts in a dash of sesame oil for 1-2 minutes and then set aside. You want to keep some of the crunch in the bean sprouts.
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Finely slice green onions, and prepare pickled ginger and chilli oil (all optional) which will be placed on top.
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Cook the packet of soba noodles per packet instructions – it usually requires you to pour boiling water over the noodles for 1-2 minutes, then drain and place in your bowls to serve.
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Pour roughly one cup of your soup base over your noodles, place sliced pork on top (or serve on a separate side plate) and garnish with chopped spring onions, pickled ginger and chilli oil.
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Sit down and demolish your delicious Okinawan Soki Soba Noodles!
This recipe may seem like it takes nearly two hours to cook just one dish, but after making this you will be left with spare soup stock (if you adjust your measurements) which can be kept and stored (in the fridge to use the same week, or freeze for months).
The sticky sweet pork will also last one week in the fridge or can be stored and last for months in the freezer. Do what I do and cook extra, freeze it, and then any night you can whip up a quick delicious dinner by defrosting and boiling the stored soup stock and simply reheating the pork in an oiled frypan over medium heat (not high or the glaze will burn!) and using another packet of noodles! Winner!
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The post Get In Me! The Most delicious Soki Soba Recipe! appeared first on The One Hit Wander.
