Thanks for the Meal

Category: Noodles

  • Hiyashi Chuka Recipe

    Hiyashi Chuka Recipe

    Imagine a sweltering summer day, with the scorching sun beating down relentlessly. You’re desperate for a refreshing meal that will not only help combat the heat but also provide a burst of flavor and nutrition. Look no further than Hiyashi Chuka, the Japanese dish that is here to rescue you from the summer doldrums. This cool noodle salad is not only delicious but also offers a myriad of unexpected benefits that will leave you craving it all season long. From boosting hydration to aiding digestion and even packing a nutritional punch, Hiyashi Chuka is the ultimate summer companion. Prepare to salivate, and get ready to discover the many reasons why Hiyashi Chuka should be your go-to summer dish.

    Benefits of Hiyashi Chuka

    Hiyashi Chuka not only satisfies your taste buds and provides a refreshing respite from the summer heat, but it also acts as a hydration booster. With its combination of cool noodles, crisp vegetables, and a flavorful dressing, this Japanese dish is packed with ingredients that can help quench your thirst and keep you hydrated on even the hottest of days.

    Additionally, the vegetables used in Hiyashi Chuka play a crucial role in boosting hydration. Crisp cucumber slices, juicy tomatoes, as well as both kaiware radish and bean sprouts not only add a delightful crunch to each bite but also contain high water content. Hiyashi Chuka, with its cool and hydrating elements, provides a delicious and satisfying way to stay refreshed and hydrated during the hottest months of the year.

    Digestive Aid

    In addition to its refreshing and hydrating properties, Hiyashi Chuka also serves as a valuable aid for digestion. After indulging in a hearty meal, our stomachs can often feel heavy and uncomfortable. Thankfully, this delightful cool noodle dish has the ability to ease such discomfort and promote a healthier digestive system.

    The key to Hiyashi Chuka’s digestive benefits lies in its ingredients. This dish typically includes a variety of vegetables, such as cucumber and bean sprouts, which are known for their digestive-enhancing properties. Cucumber, in particular, is not only hydrating but also packed with fiber, which aids in smooth digestion.

    Furthermore, the addition of vinegar in the Hiyashi Chuka sauce offers its own digestive benefits. Vinegar has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for improving digestion. Its acidic nature helps break down fats and proteins, making it easier for our bodies to absorb and process nutrients.

    Versatile and Customizable

    One of the most appealing aspects of Hiyashi Chuka is its customizability. The dish offers endless possibilities for personalization to suit individual tastes and dietary preferences. Whether you’re a seafood lover or a vegetarian, Hiyashi Chuka can easily accommodate your needs. Traditional toppings include shredded chicken, thinly sliced ham, and refreshing cucumber, while other popular options include shrimp, fresh or imitation crab, or even tofu for a vegetarian twist. With such a wide range of ingredients to choose from, you can create a Hiyashi Chuka that is uniquely yours.

    Moreover, Hiyashi Chuka’s versatility extends beyond its ingredients. The dish can be enjoyed as a light lunch or a satisfying dinner, making it suitable for any time of day. Its vibrant colors, varied textures, and harmonious flavors make Hiyashi Chuka a feast for the senses, allowing you to indulge in a refreshing culinary experience. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing meal on a sweltering summer day or a nutritious option that won’t weigh you down, Hiyashi Chuka is a dish that can be adapted to meet your specific needs and preferences.

    Expert Tips for Creating the Perfect Hiyashi Chuka

    First and foremost, selecting the right noodles is crucial. Traditional Hiyashi Chuka calls for ramen or Chinese egg noodles, which have a chewy texture that holds up well to the refreshing toppings and dressings. However, don’t be afraid to experiment with alternative options like soba or rice noodles for a unique twist. The key is to choose noodles that complement the dish’s overall flavor profile and provide a satisfying mouthfeel.

    As for the toppings, the possibilities are virtually endless. From vibrant vegetables such as cucumber, radish sprouts, carrots, and even corn to succulent proteins like sliced chicken, shrimp, or tofu, Hiyashi Chuka offers a canvas for you to showcase your favorite ingredients, which could even include seasonal fruit like fresh cherries or thinly sliced firm yet ripe peaches. Remember to slice your toppings thin and uniformly for an aesthetically pleasing presentation and a harmonious blend of flavors.

    When it comes to the dressing, balance is key. The traditional dressing for Hiyashi Chuka combines soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar to create a tangy and slightly sweet flavor. However, feel free to experiment with different variations and adjust the ratios to suit your taste preferences. Some might prefer a spicier kick with a touch of chili oil or karashi (Chinese-style mustard) or a creamier option using Kewpie mayonnaise as a base, or even grated ginger. Don’t be afraid to get creative and let your tastebuds guide you to the perfect dressing combination.

    Lastly, presentation plays a vital role in elevating your Hiyashi Chuka experience. Arrange your toppings in an organized and visually appealing manner, creating a feast for the eyes before indulging in the flavors. Consider adding a sprinkle of toasted white sesame seeds, chopped scallions, or even a drizzle of umami-rich soy glaze for that final touch of perfection.

    Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Chinese Ramen Noodles)

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 packages of 4-4.2 oz. each fresh ramen noodles
    • Sesame oil as needed
    • 2 eggs
    • A pinch of salt or dash of soy sauce
    • Neutral oil to make omelettes, as needed
    • 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
    • 9 oz bean sprouts, blanched
    • 1 bunch kaiware radish sprouts, trimmed
    • 3-1/2 oz cooked ham, cut into strips
    • 5-1/4 oz fresh or canned crab meat, cartilage removed

     Sauce (If you like lots, double the quantity):

    • 7 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 3 tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp white sugar
    • 4 tbsp water
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil

    Garnishes

    • Toasted white sesame seeds
    • Red pickled ginger
    • Chinese-style mustard (karashi)

    Instructions
     

    • Boil the noodles for three minutes or until done. Drain and rinse in cold water. Pour a small amount of sesame oil over the noodles and mix in with your hands. Set aside.
    • Beat the eggs, add salt or soy sauce, and make several thin omelettes, using a little neutral oil to coat the pan lightly. Allow to cool, cut into quarters, and slice in thin strips. Prepare the vegetables, ham, and crab. Set aside.
    • Combine the sauce ingredients and, if time permits, chill for an hour or more.
    • To serve, pile some noodles onto four deep-rimmed plates and arrange the other ingredients on top to look like a slice of pie, working from the center out. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with liberally with sesame seeds . Pass the pickled ginger and mustard separately.

    Notes

    All of your ingredients should be cut into strips and of uniform size.
    I like to mix in some of the mustard into the sauce before pouring over the top as I like it on the spicy side. You can also let your guests decide.
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    hiyashi chuka

    Cold Sake-Steamed Chicken with Sesame Sauce (Bonus Recipe)

    Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main dish

    2  boneless chicken breasts (approx.. 12 oz.) with skin

    ½ cup cooking sake

    Salt to taste

    2 Japanese (unwaxed) cucumbers, partially peeled and sliced thickly on the bias

    Sesame sauce

    1/3 cup white sesame seeds

    ½ – ¾ cup dashi (fish stock) at room temperature

    2 tablespoons mirin (sweet sake)

    6 tablespoons soy sauce

    1 tablespoon sugar

    1 tablespoon sake

    Score the chicken on the skin side and place in a steamer over high heat. Pour the sake over the chicken, lightly salt, and steam until done. Let cool, then cut into thin slices.

    For the sauce, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown. Then grind the seeds, using either a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and taste for seasoning. Chill for at least an hour (it can be kept for a day or so in the fridge).

    To serve, make a bed of cucumber slices on four plates and place half a chicken breast on each. Pour sauce over it and serve.

    The Bay area is slowly heating up, so naturally my thoughts have turned to cold, easy and delicious noodles! I hope you’ve enjoyed my sharing Hiyashi chuka with you. I love the rainbow of colors that this dish has and it is fun to go beyond the classic ingredients and start playing with your favorite combo’s!

    Hiyashi chuka japanese noodle ramen recipe

  • Japanese Noodle Recipes

    Japanese Noodle Recipes

    In the mood for some delicious Japanese noodles? Whether you’re looking to try your hand at a new yakisoba recipe, on the hunt for ramen, or simply exploring different noodle recipes, these are sure to delight!

    Japanese Noodle Recipes

    Yakisoba

    Let’s start with one of my favorites – Yakisoba! Yakisoba is very easy to make at home. Although Chinese noodles are used, the dish is entirely Japanese in origin. Not only is this a deliciously seductive Japanese stir fry, but it is very easy to make and a great way to get kids to eat a lot of vegetables painlessly!

    Get the Recipe >>

    Another favorite is my Kishimen Noodles recipe. Kishimen is a flat, wide quick-cooking udon noodle called hirauchi. While my recipe is the traditional variety, a Nagoyan friend recently told me that Fried Ebi (shrimp) Curry Kishimen is a great way to insert a modern twist!

    Kishimen japanese recipe

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    Until I lived in Nagoya, I thought I preferred less salty, lighter-colored misos, on the sweeter side. But the first time I had Misonikomi, another Nagoyan specialty, and tasted the deeply red and pungent hatcho (red) miso, my miso taste preferences definitely changed! I love making my kishimen noodle recipe, but this one might be even better.

    Misonikomi noodle recipe

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    And of course if you know me, you know how much I love Osechi (so much so, I wrote an Osechi cookbook!) In keeping with tradition, I created a recipe for toshikoshi soba (year’s-passing soba). This dish is supposed to be the last food to touch your lips on New Year’s Eve.

    Toshikoshi soba

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    Japanese Noodles in the Summer

    I live in California, so come summer time, I’m not one to want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen. One of my go-to Japanese noodles recipes for days like that is my trefoil and shimeji mushroom pasta.  It’s a quick and delicious recipe, and you can sub out the Shimeji mushrooms for any of your choice!

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    There’s little better in the summer than a slurp of cold somen, Japan’s thinnest noodle, made from wheat. As a hot dish, somen is known as nyumen; cold, it’s called hiya-somen or hiya-mugi, and is traditionally eaten from early July to mid-August.

    Somen

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    Ramen Recipes

    Of course I can’t create a Japanese noodles round-up without including my favorite Ramen recipes! Naturally we first start with creating a basic chicken stock. This is a simple yet delicious stock base to make for any of your Ramen recipes.

    Ramen chicken stock

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    Ramen has three main tastes: soy sauce, salt or miso (fermented soybeans). In this recipe, I use the basic stock mentioned above and salt flavoring. This recipe uses a traditional ramen ingredient, namely menma (Manchurian wild rice stems), along with fishcake (naruto), spinach, lard, and green onion or Japanese leek. The garnishes definitely add a nice touch to the salt flavoring.

    ramen salt flavoring

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    If you’re interested in the history of Ramen, I have a great post on that, which includes even more Ramen recipes!

    Learn More >>

    You truly can’t go wrong with any of these Japanese noodle recipes. I’d love to know in the comments  – which recipe will you try first?

  • Hoto: Udon Stew Recipe

    Hoto: Udon Stew Recipe


    A long and mysterious history lies behind hoto, an udon noodle-based stew from Yamanashi Prefecture, near Tokyo. It appears to be mentioned in the Pillow Book, a collection of essays of the Heian era (794-1185), but its precise origins are unknown. Many intriguing stories have grown up around it, however, all likely containing an element of truth.

    Some say that “hoto” comes from an old Chinese cake called hakutaku. It’s believed that the dish described in the Pillow Book was actually this dumpling-like cake, made of wheat flour, and for some time many dishes made from wheat were called hoto.

    Other theories grow out of the constraints imposed on farmers during the Edo era (1603-1867). Although they belonged to the second-highest social caste, farmers were forbidden to eat rice, wheat, or soba (buckwheat noodles), all of which were taken as tax, to be eaten by the aristocratic class. It’s hard to believe nowadays, when Japanese farmers wield so much political influence and power, but the samurai government bled them dry. “Don’t let the farmers live or die,” ran a common motto.

    Thus, according to one story, all over Japan farmers hid wheat from the eyes of government officials and disguised wheat dishes by calling them hatto or hattoh – meaning “prohibition” – instead of hoto. Such dishes were usually dumpling or wide soba soups.

    Alternatively, the ban on wheat is said to have been effective, so that hoto didn’t become generally popular until the Taisho era (1912-1926), well after the lifting of restrictions. From then until the 1950s, Yamanashi folk habitually ate a type of hoto for their evening meal, and scooped hardened hoto onto rice for breakfast the next day.

    Hoto Recipe

    An essential element of Yamanashi hoto is pumpkin (I love kabocha and use that), used as a sweetener in the old days when there was no sugar. It was gourmet food in mountainous Yamanashi.

    Real hoto uses handmade udon noodles, which are made without salt and not left to rest, resulting in a chewy texture. Store-bought fresh udon noodles will do, however. Just don’t overcook them, aim for al dente. My umami-packed version contains pork, but chicken or wild boar can be added and even tofu, as well as assorted mushrooms, daikon radish, carrots, burdock root, taro, and aburaage (fried tofu pockets) just to give you a few other ingredient ideas. Modern recipes may even include curry or butter as flavoring. I like the extra richness of butter for this dish, but a neutral oil will do. With the weather starting to cool down in the Bay area, this is one of my favorite fall treats. It is hearty, filling, easy to make, versatile and above all delicious! I call it my Japanese comfort food for the fall. And making and serving a one-pot dish can’t be beat!

    hoto recipe

    Hoto

    Lucy Seligman
    5 from 1 vote
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/2 lb lean, thinly sliced pork
    • 3/4 lb kabocha, Japanese pumpkin (leave skin on), washed, seeded, and thinly sliced into half-moon shapes
    • 1 package enoki mushrooms, washed and stemmed
    • 1 Japanese leek (white part only), well-washed and coarsely chopped
    • 2 tbsp butter (may replace with a neutral oil)
    • 5 cups homemade dashi (fish) stock or water
    • 4 tbsp miso paste (2 tablespoons red and 2 tablespoons white), or to taste
    • 10-1/2 ounces fresh udon noodles

    Garnish

    • 2-3 tbsp peeled fresh ginger, cut into slivers

    Instructions
     

    • Briefly saute the pork, pumpkin, mushrooms, and leek in butter in a deep medium-sized pot. Add dashi or water. Bring to a boil and add miso (for best consistency, first combine the misos and some broth in a small bowl), then add into the pot. Turn heat down to a high simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork.
    • Add in the udon and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the udon has reached desired doneness: It should still be slightly chewy.
    • Serve immediately in large soup bowls, garnished with fresh ginger.

    Notes

    You can really add in a wide variety of complimentary vegetables that you may have around in your kitchen. What would complement your hoto? Onions, potatoes are just a few, etc.
    Some other options to try:
    Aburaage (fried tofu pockets):  Pour boiling water over first to get rid of excess oil. Slice thickly into fours.
    Your favorite mushrooms: I used shimeji, shiitake and enoki, but any mushroom will work.
    Satoimo (Taro): Peel, rinse, cut into halves or quarters and add with the other ingredients when sauteeing.
    Burdock Root (Gobo): My friend, Naomi, suggested it. Peel the gobo, and slice on the bias into thin slices. I sauteed the gobo in a little oil in the deep pot until it browned and released its sweetness. Then I continued with the rest of the recipe as noted above. Delicious!
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  • Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Until I lived in Nagoya, I thought I only preferred less salty, lighter-colored misos, on the sweeter side. But the first time I had Misonikomi, another Nagoyan specialty, and tasted the deeply red and pungent hatcho (red) miso, my miso taste preferences widened and expanded. I loved making my kishimen noodle recipe from earlier this month, but this one might be even better!

    While testing this recipe, I was thrilled to find hatcho miso in the Bay area to use. If you are looking for a deeply satisfying, savory, umami-filled hearty noodle dish, Misonikomi is for you! Make sure you not only have chopsticks, but a soup spoon as you will want to spoon and slurp up every drop of the addictively tantalizing, comforting and delicious soup broth.

    If you like this, check out Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya too.

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    Misonikomi noodle recipe

    Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Lucy Seligman
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    Ingredients
      

    • 14 oz. handmade or dried thick udon noodles
    • 5 oz. chicken breast boned, skinned, and cut into small bite-sized pieces
    • 4 slices kamaboko, steamed fishcake optional
    • 3 ½ oz. Japanese leeks roughly chopped
    • 3 ½ oz. carrots cut into rounds
    • 5 cups strong dashi
    • 2-3 tablespoons hatcho miso soybean paste, or a mixture of 70% red miso and 30% brown miso
    • 4 eggs
    • 3 ½ oz. fresh spinach stemmed, washed, and parboiled, with excess water squeezed out

    To garnish:

    • Shichimitogarashi “seven tastes” pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Boil the chicken, kamaboko, leeks, and carrots in the dashi stock until half-way cooked. Remove.
    • Next, add the udon to the stock and boil until it reaches a chewy consistency. Then add the hatcho miso and continue to cook. As soon as the stock returns to the boil, remove the udon and place in four deep soup bowls.
    • Break the eggs into the stock (perhaps in two batches), and poach until half-way done. While the eggs are cooking, distribute the chicken, kamaboko, spinach, and other vegetables over the udon.
    • Place one egg in the center of each serving, and ladle soup over it – the heat of the soup will finish cooking the chicken, vegetables, and egg. Serve shichimi pepper separately.
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  • Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    This month’s recipes are typical Nagoya fare: kishimen, a flat, wide quick-cooking udon noodle called hirauchi; and misonikomi (in next blog post), a dish of thicker handmade udon noodles in a hearty hatcho (red miso) broth.

    Kishimen noodles
    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    If you don’t like noodles, you could never be happy in Nagoya. Happily, I love noodles, and loved my years of living in Nagoya and sampling and cooking many of their regional dishes. If you can’t get the right sort of noodles. Western-type pasta such as fettuccine can be used instead.

    Although there are few ingredients in this classic Kishimen recipe, don’t be deceived. It packs an intense wallop of flavors and taste sensations, especially the abundant topping of katsuobushi.

    A Nagoyan friend recently told me that Fried Ebi (shrimp) Curry Kishimen is a modern twist to this traditional kishimen recipe I am posting about and becoming popular. Of course, fried shrimp is a favorite Nagoyan dish too!

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    Kishimen japanese recipe

    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 14 oz. fresh or dried kishimen noodles
    • 3 ½ oz. fried tofu (abura-age) cut into triangles or squares
    • 5 tablespoons mirin, sweet rice wine
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • ½ cup water

    For the broth:

    • 5 cups strong dashi, fish stock
    • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sake rice wine
    • 1 ½ teaspoons mirin
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

    To garnish:

    • 2 cups lightly packed dried bonito shavings, katsuobushi

    Instructions
     

    • First, make the broth: in a large saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Heat through and set aside.
    • Place the fried tofu in a separate shallow saucepan with the mirin, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until the tofu has softened, plumbed up, and takes on a deeper brownish color – roughly ten minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the tofu in the saucepan to keep it warm.
    • Cook the kishimen according to the directions on the package, but take them out while still chewy. Add to the dashi broth and mix for a minute or two.
    • Pour the kishimen broth mixture evenly into four large soup bowls, distribute the abura-age between them, and top with generous mounds of bonito shavings. Eat at once.
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  • Yakisoba: The Noodle That Came In From The Cold

    Yakisoba: The Noodle That Came In From The Cold

    YakisobaLast year, my daughter’s Japanese teacher at the local high school asked me to teach about 40 kids how to make yakisoba. So one early morning, we crammed into the very small ‘parent’s’ kitchen, set up a number of different stations with electric frying pans, and cooked away. There wasn’t a leftover in sight, and it was a lot of fun. Not only is this a deliciously seductive recipe, but it is very easy to make and a great way to get kids to eat a lot of vegetables painlessly!

    Like any country, Japan has its traditional snack foods. Some of the tastiest can be sampled in the mobile food stalls known as yatai, found at public events, traditional theater, festivals, and fairs – especially at evening cherry blossom-viewing parties in April – and on many a street corner at night.

    The origins of yatai with prop-up roofs and plastic sheeting “walls” against the worst of the weather can be traced back to the early 1700s. A more primitive version, called a suburi yatai, which sold not only foodstuffs but also basic goods and fuel, dates from 1613, in the early Edo period (1603-1867). After a major earthquake in Edo (Tokyo) in 1700, these stalls started to sell dengaku (grilled tofu topped with sweetened miso), a cheap dish popular with traveling samurai as well as locals. Particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters and during other times of famine, yatai came into their own; the government regularly attempted to ban them, claiming that they caused too many fires or disturbed the peace, but by the eighteenth century they were all the rage, reaching a heyday in the 1780s. While early yatai had sold only dried, grilled, or boiled fish, vegetables, and a variety of desserts, by the 1780s they were offering everything from candy to tenpura.

    One of the most popular types of yatai food since the 1700s has been late-night soba (buckwheat noodle) snacks, known in those days as yotaka soba. A yotaka is a nighthawk, but it can also refer to a prostitute, and ladies of the night often ate soba at yatai after a hard evening’s work. The food being cheap but delicious, it was not uncommon for yotaka women to meet some of their customers also enjoying a restorative bowl of noodles before strolling home. Even now, office workers and students studying late into the night drop in at a yatai for midnight feasts of ramen (Chinese noodles).

    Yakisoba (Japanese-style chow mein) is another typical yatai recipe. Although Chinese noodles are used, the dish is entirely Japanese in origin, and has been sold at yatai in Tokyo since the late 1930s. It is thought to have developed as a variation on okonomiyaki, a pancake topped with vegetables and meat or fish and slathered with a sweet, thick sauce, which has been served at yatai since the Edo period. (See my Okonomiyaki recipe: www.thanksforthemeal.net/okonomiyaki)

    Addictive and filling, like many other yatai foods, yakisoba is very easy to make at home. For an informal party, use a large electric frying pan and cook at the dining table.

    This post may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

    Yakisoba

    JAPANESE-STYLE YAKISOBA

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped
    • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 7 oz ground lean beef (200g)
    • Black pepper to taste
    • 7 oz chopped cabbage (200g)
    • 1 ¼ lb steamed Chinese noodles (550g )
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 8 fl oz ready-made yakisoba or okonomiyaki sauce (if unavailable, use equal parts of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup) (240 ml)

    Garnish:

    • Aonori: seaweed flakes to taste
    • Beni shoga: red pickled ginger to taste

    Instructions
     

    • In a wok, deep frying pan, or large electric pan, sauté the onion and cabbage in the oil over medium heat until slightly soft. Add the ground beef and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the beef begins to change color. Then add the noodles, separating the strands a little with your fingers as you put them in the pan. Continue to cook, stirring, for a few moments.
    • Finally pour in the water, then the yakisoba sauce, and mix well.
    • Serve on individual plates, passing the seaweed and pickled ginger separately to sprinkle over the noodles.
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    yakisoba

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  • Soba Celebrations for a Happy New Year!

    Soba Celebrations for a Happy New Year!

    Toshikoshi sobaIN JAPANESE CULTURE, soba (buckwheat) noodles have always been seen as a “happiness” food, served on special occasions. It is traditional, too, when moving into a new house to greet your neighbors with hikoshi soba (moving soba). This involves a play on words, as soba also means “close” or “near” – like neighbors.

    Another soba custom is toshikoshi soba (year’s-passing soba), supposed to be the last food to touch your lips on New Year’s Eve. The tradition is so established nationwide that often reservations are needed even for buying the freshly made soba to cook up at home. One year I attempted to make my own: working with fresh buckwheat flour proved extremely hard, but my toshikoshi noodles won nods of approval from the family even though, without the special chef’s knife used by soba cutters, they were a trifle thick.

    According to a diary written by a samurai named Watanabe Hyotaro between 1839 and 1848, it was common in those days to go out and eat soba on the last day of the year. An even older story, from the Kamakura period (1185-1333), relates how in Hakata, Kyushu, a businessman from China named Shakokumei used to distribute buckwheat flour to poor people on the last day of the year, telling them how it was to erase the year of poverty and welcome in a good new year.

    Perhaps the most persuasive explanation for the tradition, however, is that in the Edo era (1603-1867) merchants used to clean factory floors with soba dumplings to pick up any gold filaments. So it became a superstition that soba “collected gold”. Eventually factory workmen started to make toshikoshi noodles, and ordinary people copied them – all in the hope of having a prosperous new year.

    The Wonderful World of Osechi: Japanese New Year’s Recipes

    New Year’s is one of the best times in Japan, at least for eating and relaxing. Get Lucy’s Osechi cookbook, full of recipes that are fast to make, easy, and quite delicious for your New Year celebrations (along with the history and traditions and little tidbits Lucy always includes). Get the book!

    Makes a great gift too! Did you know on the Amazon page there’s an option to give it as a gift?

    Osechi cookbook Japanese New Year

    My recipes may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

    soba new year

    TOSHIKOSHI SOBA

    Lucy Seligman
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    Ingredients
      

    • 6 ¼ cups water
    • A 3-inch by 3-inch piece of kombu kelp wiped with a damp cloth and lightly slashed to release the flavor
    • 2 oz. katsuobushi dried bonito flakes
    • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon mirin sweet sake
    • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 lb. dried or 1 ¼ lbs. fresh soba noodles
    • 4 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms stemmed (reconstitute dried ones by soaking in warm water with a dash of sugar for 30 minutes – reserve 2 tablespoons of liquid to add to broth)
    • ½ lb. chicken breast cut into thin slices
    • 2 large Japanese leeks white part only, cut diagonally into thin slices
    • 5 ¼ oz. spinach trimmed, parboiled, and drained
    • Seven-spice pepper to taste for garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the water with the kelp in a deep saucepan. Just before it boils, remove the kelp and pour in the dried bonito flakes. Boil, stirring, for about three minutes, then strain into a clean saucepan. Add the soy sauce, mirin, salt, and mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil again; taste, adjust seasoning if necessary and cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
    • Five minutes before serving, heat up the chicken and leeks in the broth. In another pan, cook the noodles according to instructions on the package, then drain and rinse to get rid of the starch.
    • To serve, place a mound of noodles in each deep soup bowl. Top with one mushroom and separate mounds of chicken, Japanese leeks, and spinach. Gently ladle on the broth and serve immediately. Pass the seven-spice pepper separately.
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  • Trefoil and Shimeji Mushroom Pasta

    Trefoil and Shimeji Mushroom Pasta

    We are having another heat wave in the Bay area, so spending as little time as possible in the kitchen is my modus operandi at the moment. I have been hankering for mushrooms a lot these past few weeks. This is a yummy and quick pasta dish that incorporates East-West elements. Although I use shimeji mushrooms, I bet other mushrooms would work just as well.

    trefoil pasta japanese recipe

    Trefoil and Shimeji Mushroom Pasta

    Lucy Seligman
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    Ingredients
      

    • 12 ounces of spaghetti
    • 2 to 3 large bunches of trefoil mitsuba, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped
    • 11 ounces Shimeji mushrooms washed, slightly stemmed and separated into bite sized pieces
    • 1 tablespoon butter + extra
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 medium cloves garlic peeled and minced
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons dry white wine
    • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • Salt and black pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Boil water for spaghetti and prepare according to directions. Meanwhile, sauté the garlic in olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add shimeji mushrooms, white wine and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, turn on heat again and add trefoil. Cook for one minute.
    • Place spaghetti in a large serving bowl and toss with extra butter and Parmesan cheese. When combined, add trefoil-mushroom mixture, toss well and serve immediately.
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  • The Art of Ramen: Basic Chicken Stock For Ramen

    The Art of Ramen: Basic Chicken Stock For Ramen

    This is a simple yet delicious stock base to make for any of your Ramen recipes. If you want to try other bases for the stock you can use cracked pork bones (for a richer stock) and even shelled short-necked clams. You can also quickly sauté the clams in sesame oil for a lighter stock or mix these with the chicken to create a different tasting stock.

    This is one of five recipes in the “Art of Ramen” series.

    Ramen chicken stock

    The Art of Ramen: Basic Chicken Stock For Ramen

    Lucy Seligman
    4.50 from 2 votes
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    Ingredients
      

    • 1 chicken carcass or 7 ounces chicken wings cleaned**
    • 1 Japanese leek negi, cut in half
    • 1 medium-sized onion peeled and halved
    • 1 medium-sized carrot peeled and halved
    • 1 large knob ginger peeled and halved
    • 3 to 4 egg shells***
    • 7-1/2 cups water

    Instructions
     

    • Place all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a high simmer, and cook, covered, for two to three hours, skimming of the scum occasionally. Strain the stock using a cheesecloth-lined colander; pressing down on the remaining ingredients with the back of a large wooden spoon to release all the flavor. If not used immediately, cool and freeze the stock until needed.

    Notes

    *This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to yield enough stock for 10 to 15 servings. The stock can be frozen for later use. One serving is 1-1/4 cups.
    **Cracked pork bones (for a richer stock) and even shelled short-necked clams, quickly sautéed in sesame oil (for a lighter stock) can replace or be mixed with the chicken to create a different tasting stock.
    ***The egg shells help to kill the smell of the carcass and/or bones, and to absorb some of the scum.
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    Basic Chicken Stock For Ramen
     

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  • The Art of Ramen: Salt Flavoring for Ramen Soup

    The Art of Ramen: Salt Flavoring for Ramen Soup

    This recipe uses another traditional ramen ingredient, namely menma (Manchurian wild rice stems), which I love. Along with fishcake (naruto), spinach, lard, and green onion or Japanese leek, the garnishes add a nice touch to the salt flavoring.

    This is part of the “Art of Ramen” series. The basic chicken stock for ramen that’s used in this recipe is also part of this series.

    ramen salt flavoring

    Salt Flavoring for Ramen Soup

    Lucy Seligman
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    Ingredients
      

    • 5 cups strained chicken stock
    • 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
    • Black pepper to taste
    • Garnishes:
    • Manchurian wild rice stems (menma or shinashiku) to taste
    • 4 slices fishcake naruto
    • 8 leaves parboiled and trimmed spinach cut into thirds
    • 2 teaspoons lard
    • Minced green onion or Japanese leek to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Heat stock and add the salt and pepper to taste. Place garnishes on top of the cooked noodles in the salt flavored soup. Add ½ teaspoon lard to each serving and serve piping hot.
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    Salt Flavoring for ramen soup

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