Ingredients
4 chicken legs
1 square kombu (6 inches), optional
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
1 medium onion, quartered
3 scallions, stems trimmed, chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 piece (3 inches) ginger, sliced
1 jalapeno chile, sliced and seeded
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 napa cabbage leaf, quartered lengthwise
8 to 10 cups water
8 ounces soba
1 teaspoon toasted-sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 small head napa cabbage, tough outer leaves discarded, thinly sliced (4 cups)
1 medium carrot, julienned
12 large shell-on shrimp
1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Chile Sauce
Preparation
Make the broth: Place chicken, kombu (if using), shiitakes, onion, scallions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, carrot, and cabbage in a large pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Strain into a pot, and reserve mushrooms and chicken; discard remaining solids. Skim fat from broth. Thinly slice mushrooms. Remove skin from chicken, then shred meat into 1-inch pieces. (Broth, mushrooms, and chicken will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 day.)
Make the soup: Cook soba in a large pot of boiling water until soft but not mushy, about 7 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Toss soba in a large bowl with sesame oil.
Add soy sauce and sake to broth, and bring to a boil. Add cabbage and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and boil until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact, and reserve. Add reserved mushrooms and chicken and the tofu to the broth, and cook for 2 minutes.
Divide mushrooms, chicken, soba, cabbage, carrot, and tofu among bowls. Top each with 2 or 3 shrimp. Spoon broth over each serving, and garnish with scallions. Serve with individual bowls of chile sauce.
