Japanese Kitakata Ramen: Flat Wavy Noodles and the Shoyu of the North

Ingredients

• For the pork-niboshi stock
• 1 kg pork bones, rinsed
• 60 g makurazaki niboshi (large dried sardines), heads and viscera removed to reduce bitterness
• 2 litres cold water
• For the shoyu tare
• 120 ml Kitakata-style shoyu, lighter than Kanto soy, more complex than Kansai; locally produced where possible
• 30 ml mirin
• For the chashu
• 600 g pork belly, rolled and tied, visible fat marbling essential
• 80 ml shoyu
• 80 ml mirin
• 30 g sugar
• For the flat wavy noodles
• 300 g bread flour, high-gluten
• 132 ml water, 44% hydration relative to flour weight; cold
• 4 g kansui (alkaline salt solution), or baked baking soda as substitute
• 4 g fine salt
• Toppings
• 4 slices chashu (from above), thick-sliced, with visible fat marbling
• 80 g menma (bamboo shoots), seasoned
• 2 negi (long green onion), finely sliced on the bias; or substitute thin-sliced raw white onion
• 4 slices naruto (fish cake with spiral pattern), regionally significant; not optional
• 4 sheets nori, halved

Method

1. 1
   Blanch the pork bones in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water to remove blood and impurities. Place the cleaned bones in a large stockpot with 2 litres of cold water and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat — never a rolling boil. Add the niboshi. Maintain a gentle simmer for 4–5 hours, skimming diligently at intervals, paying particular attention to sardine oils that rise to the surface; excess sardine fat will cloud the broth and shift it toward the fishy. The stock is ready when the liquid is clear amber in colour and carries layered depth — sweet pork on the front, a bitter mineral note from the sardines underneath.
2. 2
   Combine the shoyu tare ingredients — shoyu and mirin — in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm briefly to marry the liquids; do not reduce aggressively, as this concentrates the soy and masks the niboshi complexity the tare must support. Set aside. The tare should smell bright and saline, not caramelised.
3. 3
   Sear the tied pork belly in a heavy pan until browned on all sides. Transfer to a snug pot with the chashu shoyu, mirin, and sugar; add enough water to come halfway up the pork. Braise at a low simmer, turning occasionally, until the pork offers no resistance to a skewer and the braising liquid has reduced to a lacquer-like glaze. Cool in the liquid, then slice thickly — each piece must show visible fat marbling.
4. 4
   Mix flour, salt, and kansui. Add the cold water (44% of flour weight) gradually, working the dough until cohesive. Knead until smooth and firm. Rest the dough for 30–40 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. Roll to a thickness of approximately 2–3 mm and cut into flat, wide ribbons. The resting period is what permits the distinctive wavy flat shape to form; do not skip it. The finished noodles should be pale, firm to the touch, and resist tearing when stretched.
5. 5
   Cook the noodles in a large volume of unsalted boiling water. The high water content (44%) means they cook relatively quickly; test at 2 minutes. The noodles are ready when they maintain substantial chew — yielding but never soft — and the surface is smooth rather than floury.
6. 6
   To assemble each bowl: place 30 ml of shoyu tare in a warmed bowl. Ladle 350 ml of hot strained stock over the tare and stir to combine. Drain the noodles and add to the bowl. Arrange one thick slice of chashu, a portion of menma, sliced negi or white onion, one slice of naruto, and a halved sheet of nori. Serve immediately. The broth should be clear amber; if murky, the stock was boiled rather than simmered, or the sardine oils were not adequately skimmed.