Ed: Okinawan soba, not to be confused with Japanese soba, is a perfect blend of soup, noodles, and pork spare ribs that embodies the spirit of this island people.

Join me, Ed Kenney; and my friend Hisae Uki as we journey to her homeland of Okinawa.

There are so many reasons why I became a chef.

Every dish has a story.

Food brings people together and has the power to conjure up cherished memories.

I was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, one of the most diverse communities in the world.

In this show, we'’’ll meet a guest from Hawaii, learn about their favorite dish, trace it back to its origins, and have some fun along the way.

Announcer: Major funding for "Family Ingred The Sun Noodle Factory is in a part of Honolulu called Kalihi.

It'’’s an interesting mix of uses: industrial, warehouses, residential, little corner stores, lots of mom and pop industrial, like transmission shops, break shops, recyclers.

How lucky am I?

In this episode, I get to travel and eat with noodle expert Hisae Uki.

Hisae is one half of the Sun Noodle siblings, who are third-generation noodle makers.

She is poised to expand their family business for the next 50 years.

Her mother Keiko is Okinawan.

Her father Hidehito is Japanese and traveled to Hawaii to start the company in 1981.

His passion for noodle making turned Sun Noodles into one of the most sought out noodle manufacturers in the country.

Initially, Hisae did not want to work in the family business.

In college, she planned to major in clinical psychology.

Then one day her mother asked for help with the paperwork.

A few days turned into a few weeks which turned into a few months, and Hisae has become instrumental in the company'’’s growth.

I am a self-proclaimed noodle freak.

My favorite food from, like, pho to chow mein, saimin, ramen, um, pasta.

Noodles is what I can eat 24/7.

Sun Noodle is synonymous with noodles in America, starting in Hawaii, finding itself out all the way to New Jersey now.

I am the director of human resource and quality assurance.

So quality assurance basically makes it sound like you'’’ve got to eat lots of noodles.

Yes.

I like to sample it as much as possible.

Nice.

In "Family Ingredients," what we do is we identify a favorite dish that you had with your family growing up.

We like to say that growing up, most of the families go to church on Sundays, but for our family, we would go to different noodle shops every Sunday.

My favorite dish growing up would be the Okinawan soba, which we call the soki soba.

It was always something I looked forward to, and I would get excited every time my mom, I can see her making the broth, and then I could see her simmering the soki, the pork, and then we see the thick, chewy, curly Okinawan soba.

So it means we'’’re going to have to go to Okinawa.

Yes.

Ed, voice-over: Soki soba, it'’’s actually a pretty simple, traditional dish of Okinawan soba noodles, dashi--broth-- topped with braised soki, which is the pork ribs, and sometimes there'’’s fish cake, maybe some ginger, or green onion.

When anyone thinks of soba, you immediately think buckwheat soba, the soba you have in Japan, a thinner, light tan noodle, but that'’’s not at all what soba is in Okinawa.

It doesn'’’t seem like there'’’s much consistency as one feature to Okinawa soba.

Some of it'’’s thick, some of it'’’s thin, some of it'’’s flat, some square.

What is Okinawa soba?

I cannot wait to find out.

[Women singing in foreign language] The first people from Okinawa arrived in Hawaii in 1900 to work in the sugar plantations, and over a century later, their rich and vibrant culture is alive and well in Hawaii today.

Okinawa is the furthest southern prefecture of Japan and incredibly close to China, which was one of its major trading partners.

We found ourselves in Chinatown, Honolulu, to observe and take part in a traditional shishi-mai dance.

Hey, Ed.

Great to see you.

I'’’m so glad you guys get to witness our shishi-mai Okinawan lion dance.

Ed: You know, I'’’ve grown up, and I'’’ve seen the Chinese New Year lion dance, but this is totally new to me.

Yeah, Hawaii people are so familiar with the Southern Chinese lion performances.

The Okinawa lion is not seen too often.

The head that you see there on the brown lion, that'’’s about a 35-pound head, and that'’’s held out, you know, in front of you, so that only increases the weight, and that'’’s only one half of the lion.

Uh, the back end has all sorts of chores that they need to do just to make a simple roll that you saw.

You just pointed.

You'’’re the-- I'’’m usually the back end to John over here.

The back end always is bent over and always holding.

John: The tradition is really that you have two lions in Okinawa.

Uh, usually, you always have a male and a female, and the male has the mouth open, and her mouth is closed.

One wards off, and the female kind of protects all the good things.

Are you going to give her a try?

I think, you know, in keeping with our-- our--our club'’’s mission, I should have both of you do it.

I know...

I am not athletic.

A male and female team.

[Laughter] Ed, voice-over: It takes an acrobatic feat.

After just being in there for about a minute or two, my heart was racing.

I was sweating.

I'’’m sorry.

This is... [indistinct] Are we going?

Man: Yeah.

Oh!

Man: Perfect.

This is a lot harder than it looks.

Do I look [indistinct]?

[Laughter] John: This is from my grandfather'’’s house in Okinawa.

He was one of 7 that went with the pigs to Okinawa.

Ed, voice-over: In 1945, a battle took place on the islands of Okinawa between the allied troops and Japan.

90% of the landscape and livestock were destroyed.

Okinawa fell into a severe food shortage and sent out a call for help.

The people of Hawaii raised $50,000 to purchase 550 pigs from Omaha, Nebraska.

A solider, Taro Higa, came back from the war and said, "There'’’s nothing left."

OK, we need to get them started.

What'’’s a way to get them started?

Pigs.

Pigs followed by goats followed by school supplies, medical supplies.

It would take a pig, and then when that pig had babies, they would give to other families, so 550 pigs grew easily to about over 4,500 pigs in about 3 years.

Being Okinawan, half-Okinawan, myself, you know, this is actually the first time I'’’ve heard this story of the pigs of the sea.

Have you ever reached out and found other grandchildren?

The families really shy away...

Even when you pointed it out to your mom, she would... Oh, yeah, my mom was just like, "Oh, I don'’’t know when he did that.

He never said anything."

I'’’m actually so excited for you, because now when you go to Okinawa, you know, when you look at your bowl of Okinawan soki soup, you'’’ll say, "Hey, it'’’s because of those 550 pigs."

And there'’’s a special tie between Hawaii and Okinawa.

Exactly.

You know, Japanese word is "kizuna," but that bond or bridge between Hawaii and Okinawa really started, uh, with--with efforts like that.

Ed, voice-over: I always thought of Okinawa as Japan, but when you come to Okinawa, you can see it'’’s actually an entirely different place.

It'’’s very similar to Hawaii.

I think, far as latitude or longitude goes, it'’’s pretty close.

It'’’s considered subtropical.

There'’’s coconut trees.

Um, I'’’m seeing hibiscus everywhere.

Okinawa, we'’’re here!

We are here.

Are you excited?

Yes.

We'’’re going to have some soki soba.

Yes.

So we'’’ve got 3 places lined up, restaurants I'’’ve never been to before.

I'’’m pretty excited to try, you know, the different types of noodles, test out the different dashi and then the different sokis.

Everywhere you go, every region in Tokyo, every part of America has a different ramen.

It kind of seems the same way about Okinawa soba.

We'’’re finding that it'’’s prepared a myriad of different ways.

The first soba house we went to was Takaesu Soba.

It is a second generation soba house.

Takaesu-san, the proprietor, her mother ran the shop for 15 years, and she has had it for now for 30 years, so it'’’s a 45-year-old soba shop.

This is our first soba encounter.

Ed, voice-over: Their broth was a thick tonkotsu, a little bit more white broth was lots of pork flavor.

They topped it with what they call "nankotsu," which is the cartilage part of the spare ribs, and they cook it for so long and so slow that the cartilage just melts away into the meat, and it'’’s the most tender pork you'’’ve ever had.

So in Tokyo, it'’’s actually, like, a compliment to slurp.

Mm-hmm.

What about down here?

I think it'’’s the same thing, too.

Can you hear them slurping?

Yep.

Yeah, I just heard it.

[Laughs] OK. Ed, voice-over: The noodles were the terukina-type noodles.

Medium width, flat, curly, still had a little chew to them.

Not as chewy and didn'’’t have as much bite.

Hisae, voice-over: It was my first time having that sort of dish, um, with the tonkotsu broth, the pork broth.

What my father would always say, the harmony between the soup and the texture of the noodles, I thought worked really well, and, of course, the soki, I was so surprised with how the collagen just melted in your mouth.

And then this is that spicy one?

Yeah, mm-hmm.

That is the--the-- the chili pepper with... Oh!

That is hot.

Ed, voice-over: Not only was it fire, but it'’’s actually pure alcohol.

So it'’’s chili peppers that have been steeped in awamori, which is the local rice wine, Koregusu.

I'’’ve come to love it.

You put it on any dish, especially in Okinawan soba, it just brings everything alive.

How porky is this pork?

Ed, voice-over: Our second stop was Tamaya Soba.

The minute I opened the doors, I was engulfed with the delicious aroma of simmering pork.

So we order here.

So is it your treat?

Yes.

Awesome.

[Speaking Japanese] Hi.

I'’’m going to just try this.

Now, that is good, huh?

That'’’s light.

I love it.

It'’’s like crystal clear.

Mm-hmm.

Clean.

Really clean and simple.

These are the thinnest noodles that we'’’ve had.

The flattest, I think.

Mmm.

Secret sauce.

I think the one word is "clean," huh?

Mm-hmm.

Oh, how'’’s the pork?

Do you have it?

Not yet.

This one'’’s the most sweet.

This one reminds me of home, like soki pork.

And then I also had the tebichi, the pig feet, for the first time.

It'’’s skin, meat, cartilage, fat all rolled into one bite.

It'’’s not bad.

It'’’s just that unctuous-- unctuous... Hisae: It'’’s been simmered for 6 hours, which gave it that very melting texture to the pig feet, and the bones just fell right off.

It wasn'’’t as bad as I thought it would be.

My favorite place about any city I go to is the market.

I feel the market is the pulse of a community.

There'’’s always action, smells, food to eat, and Makishi Market did not disappoint.

The pork was incredible.

I have been to so many markets, and there'’’s always a pork section, but never have I seen one like this.

They had every piece of pork broken down and displayed with pride.

They have big piles of nakami, pork intestines that have been rinsed really well, then chopped up.

They had thin-shaved, marinated pig ears, and it was marinated in a yuzu citrus ponzu.

It was delicious.

Our final noodle shop is Miyara Soba.

The owner/operator of Miyara Soba was Noriko Aka.

The restaurant was actually founded by her mother who was a designer, so it was a beautiful restaurant.

[Speaking Japanese] Arigoto.

[Speaking Japanese] So she'’’s saying it'’’s delicious with the pepper.

Mmm.

Yeah.

With the-- the pepper, it definitely tastes like saimin.

Yeah.

Completely.

If I were to close my eyes and eat it, it tasted like saimin back home.

Saimin back home is a combination of pork and then a katsuo-dashi, which is made with bonito flake and kombu, and then you mix it in different proportions.

That'’’s exactly what it was.

The noodles themselves were thinner than the Okinawan soba we'’’d had up to that point, and come to find out they were custom made specifically for that restaurant.

It kind of reminds me of spaghetti.

Yeah.

I think it'’’s perfect for the light soup, though.

Mm-hmm.

Nankotsu, right?

Mm-hmm.

Cartilage.

The soki just melts in your mouth, too.

Hisae, voice-over: Miyara Soba, I would say, was my favorite because it reminded me of my mom'’’s way of cooking the soba.

The dashi was very, very similar.

The color was also really similar.

[Speaking Japanese] So delicious.

Thank you.

Ed, voice-over: I asked why she chose these noodles, and she said, well, her grandfather was from an island called Yaeyama, and she chose these noodles to honor her grandfather and the way that they grew up eating Okinawa soba.

[Speaking Japanese] Hisae: When she eats the soba that she grew up eating, it reminds her of her childhood, and she said that if we keep the traditional dishes, we are able to give customers a nostalgic experience.

Her mother started the restaurant, and now she and her brother work with their mother to continue to restaurant, and it was just like me.

[Hisae and Noriko speaking Japanese] Did she know she always wanted to do this?

[Speaking Japanese] She didn'’’t think she was going to, just like... [Hisae and Noriko speaking Japanese] Same as each other, same like you.

Hisae, voice-over: I just thought it was kind of interesting.

I can picture that she probably went through the same struggles and realization as--as I did, too.

I didn'’’t want to be in the family business because growing up, I knew there were a lot of sacrifices you had to make.

The worst thing that I think could happen in my life is if there was any sort of drift between me and my brother, because we'’’re so close, or, you know, my parents.

I didn'’’t want any of that.

Ed, voice-over: We visited one of the largest noodle factories in Okinawa, Sun Shokuhin.

When it comes to quality control, they don'’’t mess around.

Sun Shokuhin was actually my very first noodle manufacturer company that I'’’ve gotten to visit outside of our own factory in Hawaii.

Ever since I started taking on the role as director of quality assurance, it'’’s always something I wanted to do.

At Sun Shokuhin, it was a whole different ballpark.

The bottom floor is where they have all their flour.

So they have a 10-ton silo just for their Okinawa soba production, which produces approximately 70,000 servings of Okinawa soba, and then it goes down to the next level, which is their cooking room.

It was mind-blowing how big it was.

What I thought was great was they had one line, where it was all machine operated, and then at the other end of the facility was what I learned as the more traditional way of making Okinawa soba.

There is one guy who is manually boiling the noodles, and then there'’’s another man who will manually fluff the noodles.

He'’’ll coat the noodles first with oil, and then he'’’ll fluff and air out the noodles and evenly disperse the oil coating.

The traditional way is what they call their premium qualities.

[Speaking Japanese] Oh, so in 1976, they were told that they couldn'’’t call it Okinawa soba.

Ed, voice-over: It turns out Okinawan soba is made from wheat flour.

In Japan, soba is made with buckwheat flour.

Following the reversion of Okinawa to Japan, the Japanese government banned Okinawa from using the term "soba."

This created an outcry from the Okinawan people to defend a dish that they'’’ve had for well over a century.

Hisae, voice-over: Representatives of the Okinawan Soba Association should really protest and fight for the right to call Okinawan soba "Okinawa soba."

I feel like that gives Okinawa soba a lot of characteristics just because there were a lot of political restrictions with everything that Okinawa was going through with the battle between Okinawa and China and then Japan regaining control over Okinawa.

I feel like the Okinawans really fought hard to just claim their own cultural right on their food.

Children: Yeah!

Ed, voice-over: The pigs of the sea story, that is a story that I'’’ve learned since coming here.

After meeting John Itomura in Hawaii, we searched far and wide to find someone connected to the 7 Okinawans who came from America to bring over pigs during the time of need.

We then found Zensho Arakaki.

[Speaking Japanese] Hisae: This location is called White Beach.

This is where the marine base is located, and this is where all the ships would come, and although you can'’’t see it now, but before the wars, there were 3 piers called Pier "A," Pier "B," and Pier "C," which is the biggest, and Pier "C" is where the pigs were unloaded from Oregon.

Ed: I see.

So pig--Pier "C" was here.

Yes.

OK. And Mr. Arikaki-san, how were you involved with the pigs from the sea?

[Speaking Japanese] Hisae: So his uncle was living in Hawaii.

He was one of the 7 that helped shipped over the pigs.

When the ship came in, his uncle called him to come meet him at the pier, and so as soon as they came to the pier, his Uncle Agena called out his name, Zensho, and that'’’s where he-- he met them as they were unloading.

How old were you?

17 years old.

Oh, great.

He says when we see, um, white-- the white skin pigs, uh, those are actually the pigs, um--some of those pigs are actually from-- from--from the pigs of the sea.

They originated from the pigs of the-- They'’’re still here?

Yes.

[Speaking Japanese] Hisae: But when the pigs were, um, coming down the ramp, some of the pigs fell off.

When his uncle, Uncle Paul Agena, saw that the pigs fell off the ramp and were in-- in the water, he was like, "We came all the way from Hawaii.

"We shipped these pigs from Oregon.

"It'’’s such a waste.

You know, we can'’’t let these pigs..." Ed: Drown.

Drown in the sea.

Um, and so his uncle jumped in to--to help get the pigs out.

Paul Agena'’’s cousin also jumped in.

Did you jump in?

[Interpreter and Zensho speaking Japanese] [Laughter] Hisae, voice-over: The fact that I even have the opportunity to go back to Okinawa.

We say "atarimae" in Japanese.

It'’’s common sense that you go back and you say thank you and pay your respects to your grandparents and your ancestors.

And then her sister... Arigoto.

Hisae: You know, ultimately, I want to continue the family business and carry it on for the next 50 years.

I realize that our business wouldn'’’t be where it is without my mom.

She is the backbone for my father and for the company and the rock for our family.

I wanted to get to know her background more and her family and ultimately Okinawa.

Ed, voice-over: People spend most of their lives trying to figure out their place in this world.

They contemplate their future and their purpose in life.

A person'’’s identity is tied to their job, their family, their traditions, and even their food.

Like a bowl of Okinawan soba, we are far greater than the sum of our parts.

Men: Kanpai!