homemade udon noodles
Udon noodles, it turns out, are not terribly difficult to make. All they require is flour, salt, water, and putting your hands to work. I followed this guide, using a large bowl and wooden spoon instead of my small food processor. The noodles are best thick and chewy, and you can take them whatever direction you want from there: languishing in hot soup, cold with all kinds of toppings and a bit of broth on top (this is called bukkake udon, laugh away!), or stir-fried in a dish called yaki udon.
To make yaki udon (2 servings):
Cook fresh udon noodles (about half of the recipe above) in boiling water (7 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick they are). Drain and rinse.
While noodles are cooking, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and a tiny drizzle of sesame oil. Set aside.
In a large wok or pan, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add a few handfuls of small mushrooms (or sliced mushrooms) and let cook until lightly golden. Add 1/2 onion, sliced; 1 small carrot, julienne; and 1/4 small head napa cabbage, shredded. Stir fry until vegetables are softened. Add fried tofu* and cooked noodles to the pan, along with sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Serve garnished with shredded pickled ginger, sesame seeds, fried shallots, and/or a big dollop of chili sauce.
*Alternatively, you could marinate sliced meat in a bit of corn starch and soy sauce and cook in in the pan (and set it aside) before the vegetables. Add the meat back at the end, with the noodles.
