Hearty Hot Udon

Wednesday, 19 December
Hearty Hot Udon in Rich Mamemiso Broth, page 329
Miso Nikomi Udon

While I was making the dashi, I noticed how good it smelled when I added the katsuobushi (bonito flakes). It was the last of the package and I brought it over to Mr. Tess to smell the deliciousness still in the empty bag. He said it smelled fishy like the ocean. Funny, but to me it smelled smoky and rich and fresh. Dashi is a wonderful stock: in less than an hour, you can have a whole gallon of this magical stuff. It freezes well so you can have it always on hand.

I’m not always so organized and I’ve had to use the han dashi powder sometimes, but it is only reminiscent of the real thing.

This dish is from Aichi Prefecture which is famous for its udon cooked in a rich mamemiso broth in a donabe (clay pot). Though cupboard space is scarce in the Tess household, I really want to get one. This sort of meal is simplicity itself; the ingredients are cooked together in one pot and everyone (well, there are only the two of us) serves themselves from the beautiful pot. I can picture many warm and comfortable meals we could eat while the snow, sleet, and wind blows outside.

For this recipe, the dashi is reinforced with more bonito flakes. Luckily I had a small package of the very fine katsuobushi that I use as a garnish on rice! Mamemiso and Saikyo miso are combined with mirin and added to the dashi. Ingredients for the soup included abura-age (fried tofu sheets), chicken thighs, and naganegi (Japanese long onion).

The udon is partially cooked, and finished in the broth. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the center of the noodle is whiter and uncooked.

Eggs are very softly cooked on top. Each diner transfers noodles and other goodies from the pot with chopsticks to small bowls, then some broth is ladled over. Pass the seven-spice powder.

Remember to use the blunt end of your chopsticks when serving yourself from the communal pot!

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