Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
  • 10g kombu (dried kelp)
  • 30g niboshi (dried baby sardines), heads and guts removed
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 leek, white part only
  • 3 scallions
  • 1-inch ginger knob
  • 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 2 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 400g bread flour
  • 4g kansui (alkaline salts)
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
  • 1 lb pork shoulder
  • 4 soft-boiled eggs
  • 100g menma (bamboo shoots)
  • 2 sheets nori, cut into rectangles
  • 2 fresh green onions, finely sliced

Instructions:

  1. Soak the sea elements. Place 10g kombu and 30g niboshi in 10 cups water for 30 minutes.
  2. Add 2 lbs chicken thighs to the pot and bring to a bare simmer until tiny bubbles just break the surface.
  3. Skim the gray foam aggressively for the first 20 minutes until the liquid is transparent.
  4. Add the leek, 3 scallions, and ginger knob to the pot; simmer gently for 3 hours.
  5. Simmer 1 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tbsp sake, and 2 shiitake mushrooms until the aroma is toasted and rich.
  6. Mix 400g bread flour, 1 tbsp gluten, and the kansui/water solution until it looks like dry, yellow breadcrumbs.
  7. Wrap the crumbly mass in plastic for 30 minutes until the flour is fully hydrated.
  8. Pass the dough through a pasta machine until thin and slightly translucent, then cut into strands.
  9. Sear 1 lb pork shoulder in a pan until the edges are crispy and browned, then slice thin.
  10. Place 2 tbsp tare in a bowl, add 1.5 cups hot broth, and drop in cooked noodles.