Soki ( ryu, ソーキ ''sooki'') is a specialty of the cuisine of

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

, Japan. Soki are (usually boneless) stewed

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...

spare ribs Spare ribs (also side ribs or spareribs) are a variety of ribs cut from the lower portion of a pig, specifically the belly and breastbone, behind the shoulder, and include 11 to 13 long bones. There is a covering of meat on top of the bones an ...

, with the cartilage still attached. They are often served with Okinawa soba (called ''suba'').

Dishes

Soki soba

Okinawa soba with stewed soki on top. The soki are prepared by first boiling to remove excess fat, then stewing in a mixture of awamori (to soften the meat), soy sauce, and sugar for three to four hours. They are then placed in a bowl of Okinawa soba.

Soki jiru

Soup containing soki, konbu (edible seaweed), and

daikon Daikon or mooli, '' Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consum ...

(Japanese radish), with

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...

and soy sauce for

flavoring A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of the gusta ...

. The soki are first boiled to remove excess fat and drippings, then stewed in the soup until tender. In mainland Japan, konbu is usually used just for flavoring and then discarded, but a distinctive feature of Okinawan soups is that the konbu is left in.

References

Okinawan cuisine {{Japan-cuisine-stub