Kakuni Soba

Kakuni Soba crowns a bowl of cold or warm buckwheat noodles with meltingly tender chashu-style braised pork belly — the kakuni — lacquered in soy, mirin, and sake. This dish bridges the izakaya tradition of kakuni as a standalone braised dish with Japan's beloved soba culture, and it has become a fixture of modern noodle shops in Kyushu and Tokyo.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Kakuni pork belly:

• 800g (1¾ lb) skin-on pork belly, cut into 4 thick blocks
• 3 tbsp (45ml) sake
• 3 tbsp (45ml) mirin
• 3 tbsp (45ml) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30g) sugar
• 300ml (1¼ cups) water
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped

Noodles and tsuyu:

• 400g (14 oz) dried soba noodles
• 600ml (2½ cups) dashi (kombu and katsuobushi)
• 3 tbsp (45ml) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30ml) mirin
• Sliced spring onion and shichimi togarashi to serve

Instructions

1. Blanch pork belly in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2. Return pork to a heavy pot. Add sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, water, ginger, and spring onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 2 hours until completely tender.
3. Allow pork to cool in the braising liquid. Refrigerate overnight — this is the key step that allows the fat to firm and flavours to deepen.
4. Make the tsuyu: combine dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Cook soba noodles per packet directions (usually 4–5 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water until no longer starchy.
6. Reheat pork slabs in the braising liquid over medium heat for 10 minutes until warmed through and glossy.
7. Serve soba in warm bowls with hot tsuyu poured over. Top each bowl with one piece of kakuni. Garnish with spring onion and shichimi.

Cook's Notes: The overnight refrigeration step is non-negotiable for the best texture and flavour. Skim the chilled fat from the surface of the braising liquid before reheating — it concentrates beautifully into a sauce. Leftover braising liquid keeps for a week and doubles as a seasoning base.