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1
The night before service, gut the niboshi if preferred and submerge them in 2 litres of cold water. Refrigerate overnight. Cold extraction draws the oceanic depth from the sardines while suppressing the bitter compounds held in the viscera. By morning the water will be pale gold and faintly marine — this is the dashi base. Blanch the pork bones separately in boiling water for five minutes, drain, and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear.
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2
Combine the blanched pork bones with the niboshi and their soaking liquid in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a bare simmer — small, infrequent bubbles only. Remove the niboshi after 20–25 minutes of gentle simmering; extended contact extracts bitter compounds. Continue simmering the pork bones with restraint. The broth should remain clear to lightly hazy. Aggressive boiling creates opacity incompatible with Kitakata's delicate profile — maintain the simmer for 2–3 hours. Skim any grey foam that rises during the first 30 minutes. The finished broth is pale, faintly golden, and carries a clean dual register of pork sweetness and oceanic depth.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies. The flat, wavy hira-chijire noodle is the structural identity of Kitakata ramen. Dissolve the salt in the measured water. Combine with the flour and mix to a firm, cohesive dough at 38–42% hydration — the dough will feel stiffer than most pasta doughs. Cover and rest for 30–45 minutes; this gluten relaxation is essential before shaping. Roll the rested dough to a flat sheet of even thickness, then pass through crimping rollers or fold and press by hand to create the multi-wave, flat cross-section characteristic of hira-chijire. The finished raw noodle is wide, flat, and visibly irregular in its waves — not round, not straight.
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4
Roll the pork belly tightly and tie at intervals. Sear in a dry pan over high heat until the exterior is a deep, even mahogany. Transfer to a snug pot with the soy, mirin, and water. Braise at a gentle simmer, turning occasionally, until a skewer meets no resistance through the centre and the braising liquid has reduced to a lacquered glaze. Rest before slicing into rounds no thicker than 5 mm.
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5
On the morning of service, season the strained broth with the usukuchi soy or shio tare — seasoning fresh preserves the delicate aromatic profile that overnight salting would blunt. Taste: the broth should register clean, lightly saline, softly oceanic, with a background pork sweetness. No single element should dominate. Adjust with tare in small increments; the Kitakata tradition is one of restraint, not assertion.
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6
Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Cook the hira-chijire noodles until they are tender with a firm, substantial chew at their flat core — the waves will open slightly in the water. Drain and portion directly into warmed bowls. Ladle the seasoned broth over the noodles immediately; the broth should be steaming and fully cover the noodle mass.
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7
Arrange the toppings with economy: two or three slices of chashu, a portion of menma, one slice of naruto, and a pinch of sliced negi. The chashu fat will begin to melt into the broth on contact — this is essential, providing the fat enrichment that the light broth alone cannot carry. Serve immediately.