Udon Noodle Soup With Toasted Mochi Chikara Udon Food

UDON NOODLE SOUP (KAKE UDON)

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add the dashi, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, and salt.
• Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Once the broth is simmering, remove it from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.
• Follow your mentsuyu bottle instructions to make the broth.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water, mentsuyu, and mirin. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add udon noodles and cook according to the package instructions. For fresh homemade udon, separate and untangle the strands of noodles with your hands, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Using chopsticks, stir the noodles so they won't stick on the bottom of the pot.
• Drain the noodles into a colander and run under cold water.
• Once the noodles are cool enough to touch, rinse the starch off. Then change the faucet to hot water and run hot water to warm up the noodles.
• Serve the hot udon noodles in individual bowls. Pour hot broth over the noodles and top with chopped green onions and optional shichimi togarashi.

MAKE-IT-YOUR-OWN UDON NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Prepare noodles according to package directions, and drain. Toss with a teaspoon of sesame, olive, vegetable or canola oil to prevent them from sticking together, and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it shimmers, and sauté the grated ginger and garlic until you smell it (less than a minute). Do your best not to burn it. Add 2 cups of stock to the pot. Be careful - it might splatter.
• Bring the stock to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer (about medium-low). Add carrots (or any hard, root vegetables, if using), and cook until they are crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add tofu or any vegetables (except spinach), and cook until tender but still bright in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat, and cover to keep warm.
• In a small pot, heat the remaining 1 cup of stock until it steams. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the miso paste until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the entire miso mixture into the pot with the soup. (If using soy sauce instead of miso, skip this part and add the rest of the stock and soy sauce.) Stir in the cooked noodles and fresh spinach, if using, and heat through over medium-low, if necessary. Do not bring the soup to a boil with the miso: Some cooks believe this can ruin the miso's delicate flavor. Top as desired and season additionally, if desired, with soy sauce.