Homemade Ramen Noodles

Roll the pork belly tightly and tie with butcher's twine. Place in a sous vide bag with scallions and garlic.

In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, and water. Bring to a simmer.

Add the braising liquid to the sous vide bag. Seal the bag and cook at 74°C (165°F) for 2 hours.

Remove pork belly from the bag, reserving the liquid. Sear in a hot pan until browned and crispy on all sides.

Let the pork belly rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly.

Soft-boil eggs for 6-7 minutes, then shock in an ice bath and peel.

Combine soy sauce, mirin, and water in a bowl. Ensure there's enough liquid to cover the eggs.

Add the peeled eggs to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add dried anchovies and toast for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and slightly crispy.

Add soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the pan. Bring to a simmer and let the alcohol cook off.

Stir in bonito flakes and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a jar, discarding the solids. Reserve for assembly.

In a large bowl, combine flour and the dissolved baking soda and water mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a cohesive, slightly sticky ball. Add a little extra water if too dry, or flour if too sticky.

Shape the dough into a disc, dust with bread flour, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on the widest setting of your pasta machine. Fold into thirds, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat 2-3 times. Continue rolling, decreasing the setting each time, until desired thickness is reached (setting 2 or 3).

Attach the noodle cutter to your stand mixer. Dust the dough with bread flour and feed it through the cutter to create ramen noodles. Toss with more bread flour to prevent sticking and form into nests.

Cover the noodle nests with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

In a large pot, combine pork bones and aromatics. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 20 hours, or until the broth is rich and flavorful. Skim off fat as needed.

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Season with salt to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the fresh ramen noodles and cook for 1-3 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.

Add tare to the bottom of each serving bowl. Ladle in hot broth and stir to combine.

Add the cooked noodles to the broth. Arrange slices of chashu pork, half of an ajitama egg, nori, and menma on top. Garnish with scallions.