The perfect excuse to cook Japanese
Recently Jen in St. Louis sent the message out to resurrect our ten year old Toronto Supper Club we had formed while all living in the snowy tundra (as I used to like to call it). We are all in some form of isolation and looking for ways to connect and stay engaged, and importantly, to keep each other buoyed and cheerful in a worrying time.
Cooking is such a great occupation in stressful times and to reconnect with special friends through cooking meals was a wonderful idea we all leapt at.
So from our week of cooking Japanese meals and uploading photos for each other, I’m picking one of the dishes we made which is quick and easy, calls for very few ingredients and forms a great base for just about anything you’d like to eat it with. Try some wilted spinach leaves and a soft boiled egg, or some lightly pickled cabbage and flakes of some leftover salmon or chicken you might have cooked the night before. We accompanied it with chicken teriyaki, Japanese coleslaw and miso glazed eggplant. Thank you for the idea, Jen. Yes, it was a joyful meal shared round the world!
Bukkake Chilled Udon Noodles
Ingredients
2 tablespoons mirin
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup instant dashi, chilled
1 packet udon noodles
Assorted garnishes and toppings like bonito flakes, sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, soft boiled eggs, pickled ginger, furikake, and grated daikon radish.
Directions
Combine mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a bowl and leave in the refrigerator to chill.
Combine with dashi and stir. Keep chilled.
In a medium pot of boiling water, cook udon until just tender, or follow cooking time on the package. Transfer to an ice bath to chill. Drain noodles well when ready to serve.
Transfer noodles to soup bowls. Top with garnishes your choice, then pour dashi broth into each bowl and serve.