Japanese Noodle Recipes
If somebody talks about Japanese cuisine, one can't forget to mention Japanese noodles. Although rice is the staple food of Japan, noodles form an important part in the Japanese cuisine, especially as an alternative to rice-centric meal. Basically there are three types of Japanese noodles - soba, udon and ramen. Soba noodle is thin and made up of buckwheat and wheat, whereas udon noodle is thick and made up of wheat only. Ramen noodle is also made up of wheat, but it may be thin, thick or ribbon-like. It is believed that soba and udon are traditional Japanese noodles and ramen is based on Chinese noodles. There are several ways of preparing and serving Japanese noodles. Check out some of the delicious Japanese noodle recipes.
The Zaru Soba
Soba noodles are prepared in a number of hot and cold dishes. Let's see about "zaru soba" recipe, one of the most favorite soba dishes.
Ingredients
- Soba (either fresh home-made or dried) - 12 ounces
- Instant dashi - 1 cup
- Soba tsuyu sauce - 4 cups
- Rice vinegar - 1 tbsp.
- Grated ginger - 2 tbsp.
- Wasabi (root vegetable grated into a green paste or in powder form) - 2 tbsp.
- Nori seaweed (thin dried nori seaweed) - 1 sheet
- Leek - 2
- Scallions - 2
- Grated daikon - 2 tbsp.
Boil soba for about 6-8 minutes and drain the remaining water (don't throw away water since it can be consumed as soup). Cool down the noodles by running cold water over them. Cold or chilled boiled soba is served in a bamboo tray (zaru) with toppings of shredded nori seaweeds and with a soya-based sauce for dipping, called soba tsuyu on the side. Dashi, wasabi, graded ginger, rice vinegar and leek are mixed in tsuyu sauce for their good flavor and taste. Garnish with scallions and daikons while serving.
The Tsukimi Udon
There are many ways of preparing Udon. Let's learn how to prepare "tsukimi udon" or "viewing moon udon". The yolk of an egg represents the moon.
Ingredients
- Udon - 10 ounces
- Chicken broth - 4 cups
- 4 eggs
- Naruto (fish sausage with a pink pattern inside)
- Leek or green onion - 2
- Soy sauce - 6 tbsp.
- Mirin - 2 tbsp.
- Sugar - tbsp.
- Salt
- Pepper
First cut naruto at about 7 mm thickness. Also cut leek at about cm length. Now boil udon (like any other noodle recipe) in a saucepan and some water in another pan (water quantity should be about 100 ml per person). Sieve the boiled udon and run hot water over them. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt to the hot water and boil it again. Pour the hot broth in 4 ovenproof bowls and add udon. Remove the egg yolk carefully, and put in the center of each bowls. Put the bowls in oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Add cut naruto and cut leek on the side and sprinkle some pepper. Serve them hot. You can serve with pork, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots for a different taste.
The Miso Ramen
Ramen is basically a noodle-soup. Ramen is served in a meat-based broth. Usually, ramen is classified according to the soup base. Let's learn about "miso ramen" recipe.
Ingredients
- Ramen (straight and thin ramen) - 10 ounces
- Chicken breast - lb.
- Chicken broth - 5 cups
- Ginger paste - tbsp.
- Miso (fermented soybean) - 6 tbsp.
- Leek - 2
- Seaweed
- Scallions - 2 sliced
- Soy sauce - 2 tbsp.
Boil and cook chicken on a low flame for about 30 minutes. Boil ramen for about 5 minutes and drain water. Divide noodles in 4 bowls. Shred the boiled chicken into thin strips and add on top of the noodles. In another saucepan, take chicken broth, add ginger paste and simmer for about 10 minutes. Now add miso, cut leek, shredded seaweed to the broth and mix well. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce according to your taste. Pour hot broth into the bowls. Garnish with scallions while serving. Serve it with sauce and bamboo shoots for extra flavor and taste.
The ingredients for Japanese noodle recipes are very typical could be hard to find. However, one can get them in Japanese grocery stores, which are available in many of the major cities. The Japanese dishes including the noodles are one of the world's healthiest diets.
