UDON NOODLES

Handmade Udon Noodles

Recipe adapted from Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking, by Harumi Kurihara

Makes 4 servings

4 teaspoons salt
8 ounces (1 cup) warm water
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
bread flour, for dusting (in step 6)

1. Add the salt to the warm water and stir until it has dissolved.  Put the bread flour and all-purpose flour in a large bowl, and whisk the flours together.

2. Pour the salty water into the bowl with the flour.  Using your hands, mix the flour and water together lightly until the mixture is crumbly.  Pull the dough up from the bottom of the bowl and press down, and repeat until the flour and water are well combined and a rough ball is formed.

3. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it forcefully on a board for 5-10 minutes until the dough has smoothed out and a lumpy ball is formed.

4. Transfer the dough to a large plastic ziploc bag, and then wrap the bag in a thick towel.  Put it on the floor and walk on it with flat feet (not just the heel).  Turn as you walk, so that all the dough gets flattened.  When the dough feels flat, remove the dough from the bag and roll it out.  Then fold it up, put it back into the bag and repeat the process. The should become more and more smooth with each repeat.  Repeat 3 or 4 times.  On the last repeat, leave the dough in the bag, wrapped in the towel, and let it rest for 3 to 4 hours (during the winter, leave it in a warm place).

5. When the dough is done resting, take it out of the bag, reshape it into a ball, then return it to the bag and walk on it one last time.  Try to spread the dough with your feet, turning around 360 degrees.

6. Dust your work surface with a bit of bread flour, then place the flattened dough on top and roll it out, working from the middle out.  Rotate the dough 45 degrees and repeat until the dough is about 1/8-inch thick, and approximately a rectangle measuring about 1 foot wide by at least 1 1/2 feet long.*

7. Dust the top of the dough with bread flour and then fold it into thirds.  Using a long sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch thick ribbons.  If the dough gets very sticky, dust it again with bread flour.  Dust the noodles with bread flour before moving them from the work surface.

8. Cook the noodles: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rapid boil.  Lightly shake any excess flour from the noodles and add them to the boiling water.  Using cooking chopsticks, or a wooden spoon, stir the noodles to prevent them from sticking to each other.  Cook the noodles for 6 — 7 minutes, or until they are translucent and firm without a hard core.  Drain the noodles in a sieve and rinse under cold running water so they cool rapidly.

9. Once the noodles are cool enough to handle, separate them with your hands and rinse them again in cold water to make sure that all of the starch is removed.

*Rolled out dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 weeks.  Bring the dough to room temperature before sprinkling it with flour and continuing on with step 7.

Kake Udon

Makes 4 servings

For the mentsuyu sauce:
1 cup water
2 cups soy sauce
1 1/2 cups mirin
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1.8 ounces katsuobushi (dried fish flakes)

6 3/4 cups dashi
1 batch udon noodles (recipe above, or enough store bought noodles for 4 servings)
finely sliced scallions, to taste
shichimi togarashi or chili powder, to taste (optional)

1. Make the mentsuyu sauce: In a large pot, combine the water, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, and add the katsuobushi.  When the mixture comes to a boil again, turn off the heat and let the mixture stand for 2 minutes.  Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, or a sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, and discard the katsuobushi. Pour the mentsuyu into a sterilized container. (It will keep for approximately 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.)

2. Separate the udon noodles into 4 separate deep bowls.

3.  Mix the dashi with 1/3 cup of the prepared mentsuyu and heat over high heat.  When the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat off and pour it over the udon noodles.  Sprinkle with scallions and shichimi togarashi, to taste and serve.