Tonkotsu ramen with marinated eggs, tare and homemade noodles

Mix equal parts soy sauce and mirin with about four parts water to each; add the peeled soft-boiled eggs with enough liquid to cover, topping up with soy and mirin.

Refrigerate at least four and up to 24 hours, agitating after about two hours.

Heat a good squirt of vegetable oil over medium-high, add dried anchovies and let them sit and sear three or four minutes until a layer of fond forms.

Deglaze with about half a cup of soy sauce, let cool a little, add a little more soy and an equal amount of mirin; bring hot.

Off the heat, add bonito flakes to steep; add a couple tablespoons of sake, return to the heat to boil off the alcohol, and strain. Refrigerate until needed.

Bake baking soda at 250F for one hour to make alkaline salt; do not touch it, it is a mild skin irritant.

Dissolve two teaspoons of the baked soda completely in four ounces plus two tablespoons of water.

Combine with 240 g all-purpose flour in a large bowl with a spoon to a shaggy but cohesive ball, adding a little water if too dry, to a pasta-dough consistency.

Pat into a disc, dust with bread flour, cover and rest half an hour.

Dust, roll out and fold in thirds, then in thirds again; roll a little, wrap in plastic and rest another half hour to relax the gluten.

Pass once through the pasta roller's widest setting, fold in thirds, rotate 90 degrees and roll thinner to about setting two or three; laminate again if the edges are ragged.

Cut the sheet in half, dust with bread flour, run through the noodle cutter, dust again and twist into nests on a floured rimmed baking sheet; cover and refrigerate or freeze.

Take the sous-vide chashu pork belly onto a rack on a rimmed baking sheet and broil round side up until deeply browned and crisp; snip the string and slice.

Boil the noodles no more than three minutes, testing after about 90 seconds; shake dry.

Into a warmed bowl, put a few tablespoons of tare, a few ladlefuls of hot broth and the noodles.

Top with one to two slices of chashu, a sheet of nori, a halved marinated egg, scallions if wanted and a few pieces of spicy menma.