Rice & Noodles
Rice is the most important food in the Japanese diet, and in Japan you see rice paddies nearly everywhere—even across the street from the supermarket in Shohei’s hometown! Children are weaned on thin rice gruel, and a bowl of rice accompanies nearly every meal. Donburi, a bowl of hot rice topped with meat, fish, or vegetables, came about from the old tradition of pouring leftover soup over rice to make a meal and has evolved into a wildly popular one-dish meal. Rice is so central to the Japanese table that I usually keep some warm rice in the rice cooker or cook extra batches and freeze it so I can always put together a meal quickly.
Noodles are a favorite, too, as the growing popularity of ramen in the West attests. Japanese cooks have access to many, many different varieties of noodles, but in the United States, the choices are limited, so I have restricted the recipes in this chapter to the widely available ramen, soba, and udon.
Noodles are eaten for lunch, as an afternoon or late-night snack, or for dinner. In Japan, the range of presentations is dramatic. Office workers eat noodles tachigui style, at stand-up noodle shops, where you buy a ticket from a vending machine and your hot soba or udon noodle soup, udon topped with curry sauces, or other simple noodle dish is served to you in under three minutes—and consumed just as fast. Or, you can go to an elegant restaurant where the soba is handmade and painstakingly styled on the finest hand-thrown ceramic tableware. At home, noodles are fried or served in a soup, in a nabemono (one-pot dish), or as a salad. Italian spaghetti is also popular, but prepared to please a Japanese taste: with spicy codfish roe, quick-boiled squid, soy-based sauces, and a sprinkle of yakinori.
No matter what type of noodle you are eating, a strict etiquette is in force whenever you eat a noodle soup: you are encouraged to slurp the noodles, which ensures that you will enjoy them while they are still piping hot (as you slurp, you inhale air, which helps to cool off the noodles and thus avoid a burned mouth). Use caution when you slurp. I have ruined many a nice shirt by splattering my noodles.
Home-Style “Sushi” over Rice
Mastering the art of creating traditional nigiri sushi (small pads of rice topped with raw fish) is best left to those who are willing to devote several years to intensive study and apprenticeship. Japanese eat sushi in restaurants or buy it from take-out establishments.
Chirashizushi is simply sushi toppings scattered over a bowl of sushimeshi. The taste is similar to the sushi you eat in restaurants but is much easier to prepare. The idea is to make the dish both look pretty and taste good. Toppings can vary based on the fresh sushi-grade fish available to you.
FOR THE TOPPINGS
Rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
6 ounces raw shrimp, peeled and deveined; fresh, cooked crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments and cartilage; and/or cooked surimi (imitation crabmeat)
Salt
1 small English cucumber
2 ripe avocados
12–20 snow peas, trimmed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
2 ounces smoked or fresh, raw sushi-grade salmon, cut into bite-sized strips (optional)
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons sugar
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
FOR THE SUSHI RICE
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked rice (see Gohan, see recipe)
Yakinori (see recipe), shredded or torn into small pieces, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds (see recipe) for garnish
Soy sauce for serving
Wasabi for serving (optional)
SERVES 4
1 To prepare the toppings, in a bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. If using shrimp, fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, cook until pink and beginning to curl, about 3 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, slice each in half lengthwise. Add the shrimp to the vinegar mixture and marinate up to 1 hour. If using crabmeat and/or surimi, marinate in the vinegar mixture as well.
2 Cut the cucumber in half crosswise, then cut into paper-thin matchsticks 1–2 inches long. Cube the avocados, place in a bowl, and toss with rice vinegar to prevent browning. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Blanch the snow peas in boiling water for 1 minute, drain, immerse in the ice water, drain again, and slice diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
3 ln a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork or chopsticks until well blended. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt and stir until the sugar dissolves. In a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook, gently lifting the edges to let the uncooked egg flow underneath, until the bottom is set but not browned and the top is relatively dry, 4–5 minutes. Carefully slide the eggs out of the pan onto a flat plate and blot with a paper towel. Let cool, then cut into fine bite-sized shreds called kinshi tamago (shredded omelet topping). Set aside.
4 To prepare the mushrooms, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 2 cups water, the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is greatly reduced and the mushrooms are thoroughly flavored but not burned, 15–20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely in the liquid, then remove from the liquid and thinly slice them. Set aside.
5 Meanwhile, prepare the sushi rice: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Place the hot cooked rice in a large shallow bowl, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the warm vinegar mixture evenly over the hot rice and, using a wooden rice spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the vinegar, repeatedly cutting down into the rice, turning it over to season it evenly, and mixing until well combined. Let cool to room temperature.
6 Mix the mushrooms into the cooled rice, distributing them evenly, and divide the rice mixture among 4 bowls. Divide evenly and decoratively arrange the seafood, omelet shreds, salmon (if using), cucumber, avocado, and snow pea toppings on the rice and garnish with yakinori and sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature (chilling hardens the rice) with small individual bowls for soy sauce and wasabi (if using) into which to dip the toppings.
toppings variation: Raw sushi-grade tuna or yellowtail; prepared salmon roe (ikura) or flying fish roe (tobiko); flaked water-packed canned tuna
note: Japanese markets carry bottled seasoned rice vinegar for sushi rice. To use it, substitute ¼ cup of it in place of the vinegar mixture.
Steamed Rice
Nearly every kitchen in Japan has a rice cooker. They are amazing devices, using fuzzy-logic technology to cook perfect grains every time. Japanese are very particular about their rice—my husband can taste the difference between the excellent California-grown rice we eat and the rice grown in Japan. To cook rice using your rice cooker, follow its instructions and use the measuring cup provided.
2 CUPS COOKED RICE (serves 2)
1 cup short-grain white rice
1¼ cups water
3 CUPS COOKED RICE (serves 3)
1½ cups short-grain white rice
1¾ cups of water
1 In a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid (see-through, if possible), rinse the rice, massaging it with your hands, pouring off the cloudy water, and adding fresh water until the water is nearly clear. Drain well after the final rinse.
2 Add the measured water to the rice in the pan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the lid jiggles (remember, no peeking), reduce the heat to low, and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the rice in the covered pan and without lifting the lid (for good rice texture) for 15 minutes longer.
3 With a wooden rice paddle or spoon, fluff the rice, and serve.
note: Washing the rice grains was one of the first tasks my mother-in-law entrusted me with in the kitchen, and as with so many things in Japan, there is a proper way to do it: the rice must be massaged vigorously under running cold water for a good four to five minutes, until the washing water runs clear. The idea is to release the starch, or talcum, that coats the kernels, thus ensuring that the cooked rice will have the correct stickiness and a clean taste.
Rice Balls with Salmon Filling
Before heading into work in Tokyo, I often stopped at a little stand where an elderly woman sold nothing but rice balls. Onigiri is a quintessential Japanese food: made by moms for breakfast, lunch boxes, and picnics. It is the ideal handheld food (the nori wrapper keeps the sticky rice from getting all over your hand).
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm cooked rice (see Gohan, see recipe)
4 teaspoons cooked flaked fresh salmon or flaked canned salmon
2 sheets yakinori (see recipe), halved
SERVES 2
1 In a shallow bowl, dissolve the salt in 1 cup water. Dip your hands into the salted water, then grab ¼ cup of the rice. Using your hands, shape the rice into a small, fat triangle, then use your thumb to create an indentation in the center. Place a teaspoonful of the salmon in the hollow, dampen your hands lightly again, and pat the rice over the hollow to encase the salmon. Repeat to create 3 more rice balls.
2 Dry your hands thoroughly. With the pointed end of the rice triangle facing the ceiling, wrap the nori around the bottom of each triangle, leaving the point showing between the open ends of the nori. Eat right away, or pack in your lunch box for later.
Step-by-step Onigiri assembly
VARIATION Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls): These rice balls have no filling or nori. Instead, once compactly formed, they are brushed with soy or miso and broiled until they are crispy and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. As they are broiling (or grilling), evenly drizzle both sides of each triangle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce or brush with 1 teaspoon white miso. Broil, turning once, until both sides are very browned. Do not allow them to burn; especially watch the miso, which can burn quickly. These onigiri are delicious hot.
note: Experiment with fillings. Try tempura shrimp, chicken salad, codfish roe, Japanese pickles, tunafish with mayo, or cooked and crumbled tsukune (see recipe).
Japanese-Style Fried Rice
Popular in homes and at lunch counters, this is one of my husband’s specialties. Sometimes he adds sliced Chinese sausage and/or cooked crabmeat to the rice. It is a fantastic way to use up leftovers and is often the centerpiece of a family meal, accompanied by Gyoza (see recipe), Kara-age (see recipe), or Miso Shiru (see recipe). This recipe is for the Kaneko house-special chahan.
6 slices thick- or regular-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil, plus ½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ medium yellow onion, minced
5 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
3 cups cooked rice, preferably day-old rice cold from the refrigerator
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed to a powder
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ cup frozen peas
¼ cup frozen corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground pepper
SERVES 4
1 In a frying pan over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until fat starts to render but the bacon does not crisp, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Discard the bacon fat.
2 Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add the sesame and canola oils and swirl the pan to coat the bottom and sides with the oils. Immediately add the eggs and, using a ladle, stir the eggs around the pan, swirling them until they begin to solidify, about 30 seconds. Add the yellow onion and cook 1 minute longer, continuing to use the ladle to swirl the mixture around the pan. Mix in the green onions. Place all of the rice on top of the egg mixture, using the back of the ladle to press the rice into the egg mixture and to break up lumps in the rice. Cook, continuing to press the lumps out of the rice, until all the lumps are gone and the rice, eggs, and onions are well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the bouillon powder and oyster sauce, pressing them into the rice and mixing well. Add the frozen peas and corn (they will thaw as they cook) and the reserved bacon and mix well. Flip the rice by holding the pan’s handle and jerking it toward you repeatedly for about 1 minute or use a large spatula to flip the rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn out onto a platter or into a large bowl and serve steaming hot.
Simple Rolled Sushi
Nigiri sushi is not a homemade food in Japan. Sushi chefs spend many years learning about the fish, how to make sushi rice, and mastering the techniques for the best piece of nigiri (bite-sized piece of fish-topped sushi rice). But some simple types of sushi are made at home. Hosomaki—a “thin” roll—is a long roll of sushi rice with various fillings wrapped in a crisp nori sheet.
CALIFORNIA ROLL
4 sheets yakinori (see recipe)
1 cup sushi rice (see recipe)
1 avocado, sliced and sprinkled with a little rice vinegar to prevent browning
6 ounces crab stick or crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
½ English cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
Wasabi paste (optional)
Soy sauce for serving
Pickled sushi ginger for serving
YIELDS 4 ROLLS
1 Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a bamboo sushi rolling mat, a flexible silicone baking sheet, or a clean kitchen towel. Lay one sheet of yakinori, shiny side down, on the plastic wrap. Moisten your fingertips with cold water, then grab ¼ cup of the rice, and spread it, using your fingers, in a thin layer on the nori without packing it down. Leave a 1-inch border without rice at the top end of the nori. In the center of the rice layer, place ¼ of the avocado slices in a row across the rice. Right above that, similarly place the cucumber across the rice (enough to lay along the length of the roll), then 1½ ounces of crab sticks or crabmeat. Using your index finger, take a small dab of wasabi, if using, and smear it across the rice just above the crab.
2 To roll, start at the end closest to you and, using both hands, hold the rolling mat and roll once over the filling, pressing down with the roll just above where the fillings stop. Unroll the bamboo mat to lie flat (you will have a partial roll in the center of the mat). Starting again, lift the mat and roll it over the partial roll, encircling it, then roll all the way to the top. Remove the bamboo mat and plastic wrap. Repeat, using the remaining ingredients, to make 3 more rolls.
1 Spread rice in a thin layer over the nori, leaving a border.
2 Add avocado, cucumber, crabmeat, and dab of wasabi.
3 Start at the end closest to you, using both hands to roll.
4 Roll the mat once over the filling to where the fillings stop.
5 Unroll the bamboo mat to lie flat.
6 Starting again, lift the mat, and roll all the way to the top.
3 Using a very sharp knife, slice the long roll into 1½-inch rounds. Serve with soy sauce for dipping, a dab of wasabi (if using), and sliced pickled sushi ginger.
note: Sushi roll fillings can range from very traditional to more creative options. Try drained canned tuna mixed with spicy or regular mayonnaise, cooked flaked salmon with or without mayo, slivered smoked salmon or asparagus with cream cheese, or cooked shrimp chopped with green onion.
SUSHI Who hasn’t heard of sushi? The term embraces a wide range of preparations that typically combine vinegared rice with fresh raw fish, shellfish, or fish roe. Some cooked and preserved items are used as well, such as boiled octopus, sweet egg omelet, vinegared mackerel, and more. Sushi, as I have already noted, is best enjoyed at restaurants or bought from take-out shops that specialize in its preparation, rather than made at home. Here are the basic types you will encounter:
Battera Rice and usually vinegared fish pressed in a mold
Chirashizushi Fish and vegetables over rice
Gunkan An Mounded rice with sea urchin or salmon roe on top, wrapped in nori strip
Hosomaki Long, thin roll of rice filled with fish or vegetables wrapped in nori
Nigiri Mounded rice usually topped with raw fish or shellfish or sweet egg omelet
Temaki Rice and a filling in nori rolled into a cone
Chicken & Egg Rice Bowl
Oyako literally means “parent and child”—the chicken and the egg—and this homey dish is a key recipe in every housewife’s repertoire. Popular variations include substituting deep-fried chicken or pork cutlet (see Katsudon, see recipe) or thinly sliced beef for the chicken.
FOR THE SAUCE
1 tablespoon sake
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 cup chicken broth
2 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat and meat cut into bite-sized pieces
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
1½ cups hot cooked rice (see Gohan, see recipe)
2 green onions, julienned, for garnish (optional)
SERVES 2
1 To make the sauce, in a small frying pan over medium-high heat, combine the sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and broth and bring to a simmer.
2 Add the chicken to the pan and simmer until the chicken is half cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes longer.
3 Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork or chopsticks until well blended. Place about ¾ cup of the rice in 2 wide, shallow bowls.
4 When the chicken is ready, add three-fourths of the beaten egg to the pan, cover, and cook until the egg has just set, 4–5 minutes. Uncover, pour in the rest of the egg, and immediately pour the chicken mixture over the bowls of rice, dividing it evenly. Garnish with green onions, if using, and serve right away with chopsticks and spoons to get every last bit of rice and sauce.
note: In oyako donburi (or oyakodon for short), the eggs are cooked until just set, which adds to the overall pleasing soft texture of the dish. If you do not like soft-cooked eggs, you can increase the cooking time with the pan covered, but don’t let the eggs get hard.
Saucy Panfried Noodles with Pork & Vegetables
There is nothing more natsukashii (nostalgic) than the smell of yakisoba cooking at street stands and festivals in Japan. I lived in Tokyo near Yoyogi Park, and almost every weekend in the summer yakisoba stands were up and running. Since the ingredients and cooking tools are so simple, it is found just about anywhere.
6 slices thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
½ carrot, peeled and sliced into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide
½ head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch squares
½ yellow onion, sliced into ¼-inch-thick wedges
2 packages (14 ounces each) yakisoba noodles
About 2 tablespoons yakisoba sauce (see recipe) or 1–2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Aonori (see recipe) and beni shoga (see recipe) for garnish (optional)
SERVES 4
1 Place the bacon in a single layer between 2 layers of paper towels and microwave on high for 3 minutes until cooked through but not crispy, or cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat, turning as needed, 4–5 minutes. Cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
2 Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom and sides with oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrot, cabbage, and onion and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and stir to combine. Add the noodles, stir-fry 1 minute, then add ¼ cup water, cover the pan, and cook 1 minute longer. Uncover and allow any remaining water to evaporate.
3 Add some sauce and continue to stir-fry to combine the sauce with the noodles and vegetables, 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter. Garnish with aonori and beni shoga, if using, and serve right away.
note: The yakisoba bottled sauce with the strong flavor of soy and Worcestershire sauce is what gives yakisoba its distinctive tang. You can make these panfried noodles with Worcestershire sauce alone if you cannot find the proper prepared sauce.
Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame-&-Vinegar Sauce
As soon as the first breath of the warm, humid air typical of Japanese summers begins to stir, restaurants start serving this refreshing cold noodle salad with its tangy sauce. The warm-weather alternative to hot ramen noodle soup, hiyashi chuka is a lunchtime favorite for office workers and a quick and cooling dinner for families.
Experiment with the toppings: shredded omelet, julienned cucumber, cold roast pork (chashu), green onions, nori, and sometimes tomato wedges are typical, but any chilled seafood, ham, sliced snow peas, carrots, and radishes are also good additions.
½ pound fresh ramen noodles
FOR THE TOPPINGS
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
¼ pound small or medium shrimp
4 slices ham or prepared chashu, about 2 ounces total weight
1 English cucumber
4 green onions
FOR THE SAUCE
¼ cup sugar
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted and ground (see recipe)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Beni shoga (see recipe) for garnish (optional)
Yakinori (see recipe), shredded, for garnish
Karashi (see recipe) for serving
SERVES 2
1 Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and immediately rinse thoroughly under cold running water until completely cool. Set aside.
2 Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork or chopsticks until well blended. Add the sugar and salt and stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook, gently lifting the edges to let the uncooked egg flow underneath, until the bottom is cooked but not browned and the top is relatively dry, 4–5 minutes. Carefully slide the eggs out of the pan onto a flat plate and blot with a paper towel. Let cool, cut into fine shreds, and set aside.
3 Fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, cook until pink and beginning to curl, about 3 minutes, and drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and devein. Slice the ham into narrow strips. Cut the cucumber crosswise into 3-inch lengths, then julienne. Mince the green onions, including the tender green tops. Set aside with the shrimp.
4 To make the sauce, in a large bowl, stir together ¾ cup water, the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, and sesame oil until the sugar is dissolved.
5 To assemble the salad, divide the noodles between 2 large serving bowls. Pour half of the sauce over each bowl of noodles (there will be a lot of sauce). Top each with half of the omelet shreds, shrimp, ham, cucumber, and green onions, arranging them in a traditional pinwheel. Garnish with beni shoga and a little yakinori and place a dab of karashi alongside each serving to mix into the noodles as desired.
note: Traditionally, yellow wheat noodles, typically labeled hiyashi chuka or ramen in Asian markets, are used for this dish, and they can occasionally be found fresh, stocked with the refrigerated tofu in regular supermarkets. If you can find them, use them, boiling them until al dente and then cooling them quickly in ice-cold water.
Cold Soba Noodles with Sweet Walnut Dipping Sauce
My husband is from Nagano, the heart of Japan’s soba country. His hometown has many soba-ya (soba restaurants), and every family member has a favorite. Mine is Kusabue, which serves kurumi soba, cold noodles with a sweet dipping sauce enriched with walnut paste.
This is a micro-regional dish, essentially unknown outside the area. The sweet and nutty dipping sauce (a mixture of tsuyu, walnuts, and sugar) is a perfect counterpoint to the cool soba.
1¼ cups dashi (see recipe) or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 cup walnuts
Sugar
1 package (14 ounces) dried soba noodles
Wasabi for serving (optional)
4 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
SERVES 2
1 In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the dashi. Add the soy sauce and mirin, stir until dissolved, remove from the heat, and let the tsuyu sauce cool.
2 Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.
3 In a small, dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the walnuts, shaking the pan to prevent scorching, until fragrant and the nuts have taken on a little color, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place the toasted walnuts in a zippered plastic bag, force out the air, and seal closed. Using a meat pounder or the bottom of a large can, crush the nuts until the size of peas. Transfer the crushed nuts to a suribachi (see recipe) or a mortar and grind finely. Add 2 teaspoons sugar and grind the sugar into the walnuts. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Add up to 3 tablespoons of the tsuyu, reserving the remaining sauce for serving, and grind or mix until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is a thick paste. Set aside.
4 Have ready a large bowl of ice water. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the soba and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and immediately transfer them to the ice water. Using your hands, swish the noodles to cool them quickly. When cool, drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
5 To serve, place about 2 tablespoons of the walnut paste in each of 2 dipping bowls, add some of the reserved tsuyu and the wasabi (if using), and mix until well combined. Then stir in the green onions. To eat, pick up a biteful of the soba with chopsticks, drop it into the dipping sauce, then pick up and eat the soba directly from the dipping bowl.
note: Soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat flour and have a firm texture and a slightly nutty flavor, are available in many different varieties in Japan. The most common type, which is a pale brown, is made with buckwheat and wheat flours, but some versions incorporate mountain yam, green tea, or other ingredients into the dough. Most of the soba noodles sold in the United States are made from a mix of buckwheat and wheat flours, and the most important thing to remember when boiling them is not to overcook them. They must never be mushy, especially when used in cold noodle dishes. In Japan, the water in which soba is cooked is thought to be full of vitamins and is thus drunk at the end of the meal, mixed with any leftover dipping sauce.
hot soba variations: To make tempura soba, combine ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup mirin, and 4 cups dashi or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth in a saucepan to make the tsuyu broth and bring just to a boil. Follow the directions for cooking and draining (but not cooling) the soba and then divide between 2 large soup bowls. Ladle in the hot broth and top with Yasai to Ebi Tempura (see recipe).
To make Tsukimi soba, make the tsuyu broth as directed and bring just to a boil. Follow the directions for cooking and draining (but not cooling) the soba and then divide between 2 large soup bowls. Ladle in the hot broth. Crack an egg into each bowl. The hot broth will partially cook the eggs (see note). Garnish with green onions.
SHOHEI NO BUTANIKU TO GOMA RAMEN
Shohei’s Special Pork & Sesame Ramen Noodle Soup
Ramen is truly a Japanese national obsession, now becoming global. Ramen-ya, restaurants specializing in ramen dishes, are found all over, with a wide degree of regional variation. I’ve used instant ramen noodles here, but if you have access to fresh ramen, use them!
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ pound ground pork
4 slices prepared Chinese roasted pork (chashu; optional)
1 tablespoon chili bean paste
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 packages (3½ ounces each) instant ramen noodles
4 cups chicken broth
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground (see recipe), plus more for garnish
Hot chili oil (optional)
2 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
4 slices bamboo shoots (optional)
¼ cup bean sprouts, both ends trimmed (optional)
1 medium-boiled egg, boiled about 7 minutes, peeled and halved lengthwise (optional)
SERVES 2
1 In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork, breaking it up with a wooden spatula or spoon. Add the chili bean paste and the garlic and cook, stirring often, until the pork is cooked through and a little crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2 Discard the flavor packets from the ramen packages, fill a saucepan with water, and cook the ramen as directed on the package. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
3 Just before the noodles are done, divide the ground sesame seeds between 2 large soup bowls and pour in the hot broth, dividing it evenly. Drain the noodles, add half of them to each soup bowl, and swirl them so that they don’t stick together.
4 Drizzle in a little hot chili oil, if using, and then top each bowl with half of the pork mixture, chashu slices, green onions, bamboo slices, and bean sprouts and a boiled egg half (if using). Garnish with sesame seeds and serve right away.
note: Because ramen broth can be so complex, it is rarely made at home in Japan except with the use of a prepackaged soup base. So when ramen is cooked at home, it is as individualized as the person preparing it.
Miso-Flavored Ramen Noodle Soup with Corn & Butter
A specialty from Hokkaido, the cold-weather, northernmost Japanese island, this filling, hearty, ramen from Sapporo is easy to re-create at home. The broth is distinguished by umami-rich miso and a pat of butter added just before serving.
2 packages (3½ ounces each) instant ramen noodles
4 cups chicken broth
About 2 tablespoons white miso paste
½ cup thawed frozen corn kernels or drained canned corn
2 green onions, including tender green tops, minced
4 slices bamboo shoots (optional)
¼ cup bean sprouts, both ends trimmed (optional)
1 medium-boiled egg, boiled about 7 minutes, peeled and halved lengthwise (optional)
Unsalted butter for serving
SERVES 2
1 Discard the flavor packets from the ramen packages, fill a saucepan with water, and cook the ramen in boiling water as directed on the package.
2 Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Scoop out a few spoonfuls of the hot broth into a small bowl, stir in 2 tablespoons white miso until well blended, and slowly incorporate the diluted miso back into the broth, without letting the broth boil. Taste and add more diluted miso, if desired.
3 Drain the noodles, divide them between 2 large soup bowls, and pour in the broth, dividing it evenly. Top each bowl with half of the corn, green onions, bamboo shoots (if using), and bean sprouts (if using) and a boiled egg half (if using). Finish each bowl with unsalted butter and serve right away.