Kasahara-Style Homemade Ramen (Old-Fashioned Chuka Soba)

Prepare the ingredients for the broth and chashu. Use the pork shoulder as a whole block of about 400g, along with the chicken wing tips. Cut the vegetables into large pieces so their aroma doesn't overpower the broth: the green part of the long onion, carrot (skin on), onion, ginger (skin on), garlic (just peeled), and the tough outer leaves of the napa cabbage. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water from the day before (or in lukewarm water for 2 hours if pressed for time).

Put water, sake, and the dried shiitake along with their soaking liquid into a large pot, then add the pork shoulder, chicken wing tips, dashi kombu, and all the cut vegetables while the water is still cold, and set over medium-high heat. This makes about 4 servings of broth.

Prepare the toppings while the broth simmers. Bring water to a boil, lower the eggs in gently so they don't crack, and boil for 7 minutes. For the first minute or so, deliberately keep stirring to roll them around so the yolks settle in the center for a clean cross-section.

Boil the spinach. Wash the roots thoroughly in water, put the tough stems into the boiling water first for about 20 seconds, then add the leaves, submerge everything, and boil for about 30 seconds. Once the stems soften, transfer to ice water to set the color and leave in the water a little longer than you think to remove the oxalic acid.

Squeeze the spinach well to remove the water, toss it with a suitable amount of dark soy sauce, rub it in, and squeeze again (this is the soy sauce rinse, or murasaki-arai). It removes the wateriness and tightens the flavor. Chilling the boiled eggs in the same ice water makes them easier to peel.

Once the broth comes to a boil, carefully skim off the dirty scum that rises first. The scum won't come out unless you let it boil hard once. After skimming, lower the heat and simmer uncovered at a gentle bubble for 1 hour. Top up the water as it reduces and check on it occasionally.

Make the burnt scallion oil. Finely chop 1/2 stalk of the white part of a long onion, put about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small frying pan, and heat slowly between low and medium heat. Once it starts to color it goes fast, so stir constantly and take it out of the pan while it is still lightly colored, spreading it on a paper towel to cool. It continues to cook from the residual heat.

Slice the naruto fish cake. It's a topping that gives the ramen an old-fashioned feel.

After simmering for 1 hour, take the pork out of the broth and put it into a bag such as a Ziploc while still hot. Add the peeled boiled eggs as well, then add dark soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and pepper to taste and massage everything together. Submerge the bag in water to push out the air and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Take out the chashu after marinating for 2 hours and slice it, and cut the seasoned eggs with a thread. Cut the naruto and spinach into easy-to-eat pieces and get all the toppings ready.

Boil the noodles for the time stated on the package and drain them well.

Put 2 tablespoons of the chashu marinade and about 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce into a bowl, then add the burnt scallion oil. Pour in the slowly simmered broth to dissolve the tare, loosen the boiled noodles, and add them. Top with the chashu, spinach, naruto, menma, seasoned egg, and nori to finish.