Tenobe-Dango-Jiru

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Hand stretched wheat dumplings (noodles) are a speciality of Oita Provence in Japan, usually served in an iriko dashi based soup flavored with miso and vegetables. These noodles are also popular in Hawaii: the first time I made this dish was as a test for The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. The dumplings were quite thick noodles, similar to the savory mochi (rice-flour) dumplings sometimes added to soups all over Japan. Looking at pictures online, it seems the “dumplings” in Oita are thinner and more like noodles.
We’ve all seen those Chinese master noodle chefs (perhaps only on YouTube) pulling long strands of lamian from a lump of dough: great entertainment and a real mystery about how it can be done without breaking the strands!

My goal is more modest—I can’t help but admire this beautiful Uyghur woman, making noodle soup on a wood-fired stove. Her gracious hospitality, and her serene way of making those noodles reveals a homey skill which must provide much happiness for her family and friends. Oh, I could sit at her table and enjoy her company over a meal…

Apparently this is a type of noodle is made in many Chinese homes, a bit rustic, chewy, slurpy, and simply straightforward. I’m imagining that these noodles are similar to the Oita style. ???

Hand-Stretched Noodles Tenobe-Dango-Jiru a recipe under development by Tess serves 3 1 cup flour (note: cake flour might be better than all-purpose) pinch of salt ½ teaspoon Koon-Chun kansui diluted in ⅓ cup water, add more water by teaspoon if flour is dry Put the flour in a large bowl and whoosh in the salt. Make a well in the center and pour in about 3 Tablespoons of the water. With a fork or chopsticks, use a stirring motion (clockwise) to push dry flour into the liquid. When you have lots of sticky bits and yet lots of dry flour, add a little more water and stir (clockwise) some more. Repeat until the flour looks like coarse sand or even like gravel. At this point, you can gather up the mixture and press it into a ball. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft. Cover it with a damp napkin and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Flatten the ball of dough and cut it into 16 equal pieces. Roll snakes with each piece of dough. Squish flat, stretching the ribbons as you work. You can now add the noodles to your soup, or you can cook the noodles in a separate pot of rigorously boiling water, then divide them into serving bowls and add the soup.

Niboshi dashi makes 4 cups ♥ about 15 small niboshi (dried anchovies or sardines) (1 ½” long) ♥ small piece of kombu (optional) ♥ 4 ¼ cup water Preparation: Clean the niboshi: remove the heads and guts, which will make the stock bitter. Put water in a deep pot and soak niboshi for 30 minutes to one hour. Some people add a piece of kombu to the pot and remove it before the water boils. On medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming off any foam rises to the surface. Stop the heat. Strain the broth through a kitchen cloth. Use immediately, or refrigerate or freeze.Things in the Soup: 2 baby bok choy, cut into chopstick sized pieces 3 ½ ounce package of enoki mushrooms, trimmed and cut in half 1 small carrot, sliced ¼-inch thick 1 thin yellow summer squash, sliced ¼-inch thick ½ sweet red pepper 3 or 4 small okra pods 2 Tablespoons miso (I mixed hacho miso with white miso) 1 green onion, green only, sliced into rings 1 large chicken breast, cut into chopstick sized cubes 2 cloves of garlic, grated

A very thorough article about making pulled noodles, one I will use in future to make this dish, we hope, more successfully.

A very thorough article about making pulled noodles, one I will use in future to make this dish, we hope, more successfully.

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Tags: hand stretched noodles, Miso Soup, recipe