In article >,
Puester > wrote:

> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> We made the dashi broth from
> > scratch, something I'd never done before, and soaked the shiitake
> > mushrooms.
>
> >
> > After we had finished eating, the phone rang again. It was my student's
> > mother: "I'm bringing over some of this soup. It's wonderful!" And it
> > was. Dashi made from scratch is a whole lot better than the envelopes
> > of dashi-no-moto (think dashi bouillon) that turned me off 20+ years
> > ago.
>
>
> That was a nice thing you did. Now where's the recipe?
>
Somehow I KNEW someone would ask. It's actually recipes. These are
from "The Noodle Shop Cookbook", by Jacki Passmore.

First you have to make dashi:

1 1/2 qt. cold water
1/4 oz. kombu seaweed
1/2 oz. dried bonito flakes (we used more like 1/4 oz.)

Place bonito and kombu in pot with water. Bring to boil; reduce heat
and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, then strain
through cheesecloth-lined sieve.

Now you put together the udon hot pot:

1 lb. dried udon
1/2 lb. boneless chicken breast
4 oz. semifirm tofu
2 oz. kamaboko (Japanese fish cake) or surimi
4 shiitake mushrooms, soaked 25 minutes if dried
8 small whole scallions
4 eggs
shichimi (Japanese pepper)
4 tempura shrimp (optional--we didn't use them)

broth:
the prepared dashi
1/4 c. tamari or light soy sauce
2 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. mirin (we used sake and added a little more sugar)
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

Bring 1 1/2 quarts water to boil. Add noodles; bring water back to
boil. Pour in 1 cup cold water and again bring to boil. Add another
cup cold water and bring back to boil. Cook 2 minutes, then test. Udon
should still be firm at this stage. Drain and cover with cold water.

Cut chicken, tofu, and kamaboko into 4 even-sized pieces. Set aside.
Cut greens of 2 scallions into thin slices and set aside. Diagonally
cut the remaining scallions into 3" pieces.

Bring broth ingredients to boil; reduce heat and keep warm. Divide
noodles evenly among 4 individual serving casseroles. Add chicken,
kamaboko, tofu, mushrooms, and scallion pieces to each casserole. Add
broth, cover and simmer 6-7 minutes. Can also be cooked in microwave on
high for 2 minutes or in 375° oven for 10 minutes.

Use chopsticks to make a depression in the center of the noodles. Break
an egg over each portion. Place tempura shrimp (if using) beside the
egg. Cover casseroles; cook another 2-3 minutes. Don't let egg become
too firm. Uncover, sprinkle on reserved scallion greens, and serve at
once.

My young neighbor is a pretty accomplished cook already, courtesy of her
mother. She and a friend cooked the entire Thanksgiving dinner by
themselves last year. Last summer I taught her how to make blackberry
crisp. Most of what I did yesterday was keep her calm and focused on
what she needed to do.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

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