• Rehydrate the mushrooms by soaking them in cold water for 20-30 minutes.

Prepare the Broth

• Pour the broth ingredients (except for the cream) into a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved.
• Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. I usually move the pot to the back burner on simmer to keep it hot and out of the way.

Prepare Champon

• Bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the noodles.
• Prepare ingredients by cutting cashu into bite-sized pieces, cutting the carrot into thin rectangle slices, cutting the cabbage into small squares, cutt the squid into bite-size pieces, slicing the onion, and cutting the mushrooms into slices (if necessary).
• After all the toppings are prepared, cook the champon noodles in the boiling water for around 3 minutes.
• Once noodles are done cooking, strain thoroughly making sure to get rid of as much water from the noodles as possible. This is important as extra water can dilute the broth. Once strained, add an individual portion of noodles to your soup bowl.

Cook Toppings and Finish Champon

• Heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. If you are using uncooked pork belly, add to skillet now and cook until seared on the outside (1-2 minutes). I like to use cooked chashu as I think that brings a deeper flavor to the broth so I usually add the cooked chashu with the rest of the seafood.
• Add cooked chashu pork (if previously cooked), squid, shrimp, onion, and 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce to the wok and cook until shrimp and squid are cooked.
• Next, add carrots and cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
• Add mushrooms, cabbage, and kamaboko and cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
• Then, add bean sprouts and cook for an additional minute, stirring the mixture frequently.
• Pour the simmering broth into the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Lower heat to simmer and add the cream to the champon.
• Add roughly 1/6 of the soup toppings and broth to the noodle bowl.
• Serve and enjoy!