START TO FINISH: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
This Japanese noodle dish is all about the chew, which comes from hearty wheat udon noodles. We got the dense chew we wanted by using an Italian technique of cooking them only until al dente—still quite firm. Japanese noodles often are rinsed after cooking, and chilling helps firm their texture. We streamlined the process by adding ice to the strainer as we rinsed the udon under cold water. Soy sauce, dried shiitake mushrooms and mirin went into our sauce, balanced by a little sugar. To balance the savoriness, we turned to pickled ginger. You can find this, jarred, in the Asian foods section of grocery stores.
Don’t fully cook the udon. Check for doneness well before the suggested cooking time.
12 ounces dried udon noodles
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 small dried shiitake mushrooms, broken in half
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, halved if large, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Pickled ginger, to serve
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the udon, stir well and cook until al dente. Drain using a colander, then add 2 cups of ice to the noodles. Run under cool water, tossing, until they are chilled. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil, then set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium, combine the soy sauce, ¼ cup water, mirin and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring, then add the dried mushrooms, pushing them into the liquid. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside until the mushrooms have softened and cooled, 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the soy sauce mixture, squeezing them to allow any liquid to drip back into the pan. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil until barely smoking. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and slightly shrunken, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring, until the leaves are wilted and the stem pieces are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the chopped dried shiitakes.
Set the now-empty skillet over medium and add the udon, gently tossing with tongs. Add the vegetable mixture, gently toss, then add the soy sauce mixture and white pepper. Cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are heated and have absorbed most of the liquid, about 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with pickled ginger.