Noodles for a Rainy Day-Japanese

I am a total novice when it comes to making Japanese cuisine though we love eating them a lot.   And good Japanese food don't come cheap, it's an arm and a leg to me.  Glad that Asian Food Fest Blogging Event picked Japan as one of the featured countries.  I have learned quite a bit from the sharing by fellow bloggers, at the very least, i have learned how to make dashi stock which is an important base for many Japanese dishes :)

I tried my hands at making this simple but satisfying hot pot meal.  Nabeyaki Udon, a one pot meal commonly served in an earthen or cast iron pot  with Udon noodles and a variety of toppings like seafood, chicken and vegetables in hot dashi broth is a popular wintertime. meal.  One can actually choose to add your own favorite toppings.

I made this on a rainy afternoon and it was indeed a heartwarming and comforting meal in the cool weather.  Totally delicious and very glad to have given this a try!

Recipe

Reference: La Fuji Mama (my variations in blue)

Ingredients

• 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves (obmitted)
• 6 cups dashi (basic Japanese sea stock-see below for recipe)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons mirin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal (medium size)
• 2 leeks, cleaned and cut into 1-inch slices on the diagonal
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 free range chicken thighs)
• 21 ounces fresh udon noodles (3 packs single serving Udon)
• 5 large eggs (Did only one for son)
• 5 prawns
• 1 squid
• 5 pieces scallop
• 1 piece tofu, quartered
• 5 baby corns
• 6 fresh shitake mushrooms
• 1 packet 100g bunapi mushroom

Steps

1. Mix the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and salt together in a medium size heavy base pot, then stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the sliced carrots and leeks (half the amount), then bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add the chicken and simmer until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
3. Add baby corns.
4. While the soup is simmering, wash and cook udon as per package instructions.  I boiled mine for 2 minutes then rinse with cold water to wash off excess starch.  Drain and set aside.
5. Add prawns, squid, scallops, tofu and mushrooms.  Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add udon noodles.  Add in remaining leek.
7. Gently crack egg, one at a time, into the soup. Cover the pot with a lid, and let simmer for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit to allow the eggs to finish cooking.
8. Serve while hot.

Recipe-Dashi (First Sea Stock)
Reference: La Fuji Mama

Ingredients

• 4 cups water (i topped it to 6 cups water since this is the amount needed in the nabeyaki udon recipe)
• 16-20 square inches kombu
• 1/2 cup loosely packed bonito flakes

Steps

1. Place water and kombu in pot and let kombu soak for 15 minutes.  Place pot over medium heat. 
2. Right before water starts to boil, remove pot from heat and scatter bonito flakes over the surface of the water.
3. After 3-4 minutes (bonito flakes will have sunk to the bottom of the pot by this point), strain the stock through a strainer lined with a tightly woven cotton cloth or coffee filter.

Note: 

1. You can make Second Sea Stock by boiling 4 cups of water with the kombu and bonito flakes from the first sea stock for another 10 minutes.  Strain and store the stock.
2. Stock can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #1 Oct 2013: Japan hosted by Alan from Travelling-foodies