I got the itch to make udon noodles after reading this Rasa Malaysia (via No Recipes) post on Kitsune (aka fox) udon, which I then followed up with a revisit to Eat, Drink, Man’s post on dashi. Gene of EDM is now writing for the AJC as the ethnic food writer, and personally I’m excited about their decision to hire him. Gene’s opinions are well thought out, interesting, and honest. He’s also a curious and experienced ethnic cook, which I think is important when trying to judge and understand the cooking from other parts of the world.
On to the food. Everything I purchased above came from the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market.
I made the dashi with the seawead and bonito flakes, careful to only gently simmer the broth. The aromas were wonderful.
You can buy the tofu sliced and fried already, so I sort of went the hard route. I pressed, drained, sliced, and twice fried my tofu before simmering the slices in a mixture of soy, rice wine, and dried sardines.
The fried tofu takes on a deep color, and excess liquid is pressed out.
Once you have the dashi and the tofu, the rest is even easier. I cooked the fresh noodles, then dropped the noodles in the still warm dashi, and garnished with green onion and a couple slices of fish cake.
The salty ocean flavors were delicate but with strong, pleasing aromatics. The chewy noodles and salty tofu provide ample nourishment. It’s filling, and it’s good, clean food.
