肉うどんNiku udon
The quiet, thick, wheat-udon soup: a clean dashi base, the broth logic of the whole move, marinated pork shoulder (or a pan-heat-seared cut) and a small load of shredded vegetable, and the thick, soft, udon that has been boiled, drained, and set in the broth, not on top. The whole dish is the dashi logic, and the noodles logic (boil, drain, and the salt-and-sweet of the balance), with the knife work that sets the vegetable and the pork.
Technique notes
Niku udon is a noodles dish that lives on the dashi base. The three layers are the broth (the dashi half), the niku (the marinated pork, the salt-and-sweet half, and the knife work), and the udon (the thick, soft, wheat noodle, the boil-and-drain half). The dashi is the balance of the bowl, the marinated pork is the salt-and-sweet of the filling, and the udon is the sweet note and the vehicle of the whole dish.
Equipment
- A heavy pot for the broth and the pork (a 1.5 litre) and a wide pan for boiling the udon
- A fine sieve, for the noodles drain
- A flat ladle, for the soup
Ingredients
- For the broth:
- 30 g dried kombu
- 1.5 litres cold water
- 25 g katsuobushi (long, dark flakes) — the dashi pull
- 30 ml light soy sauce — the salt of the balance
- 15 ml mirin — the sweet of the balance
- For the pork:
- 200 g lean pork shoulder or thigh, sliced 5 mm across the grain — the marinated niku
- 1 tsp soy sauce — the salt
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or a dry sherry) — the depth
- 1 tsp sesame oil — the fat
- a pinch of white pepper — the top note
- For the vegetable and the top note:
- 100 g Napa cabbage or a little bean sprout, shredded — the knife work and the water edge
- 2 scallions, cut 5 mm pieces on the diagonal — the fragrance top note
- For the noodles:
- 200 g fresh udon (or a 200 g of dry udon) — the thick, soft, wheat noodle
- A handful of dried katsuobushi, for the smoke note (optional, but it sets the balance of the plate)
Method
- The dashi, pulled. This is the dashi article in full working order: the 30 g of kombu, the 1.5 litres of cold water, and a 20 min rest. Bring it to the just-before-boil, pull out the kombu (the kombu never sees a boil), and back it to the same just-before-boil. With the heat off, add the 25 g of katsuobushi, press it flat, and let it sit 2–3 min, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Into the strained dashi, the 30 ml of light soy and the 15 ml of the mirin, and a light simmer for 1 min, so the salt and the sweet are in the dashi, not on the plate.
- The pork, marinated briefly. The 5 mm slice of the pork with the soy, the Shaoxing, the sesame oil, and the white pepper, and a 15–20 min rest. The marinate logic — the salt of the soy and the depth of the Shaoxing, carried onto the surface of the slice.
- The pork, cooked in the dashi. Into a gentle simmer, the marinated pork, the shredded cabbage, and a 2–3 min, until the pork has just lost its pink and the cabbage has softened at the edge. (The pork is cooked in the dashi, not on the plate — the salt-and-sweet half of the balance is in the broth, not on top of the noodle.)
- The udon, boiled and drained. Into a pot of lightly salted, rolling-boil water, the 200 g of the fresh udon, and a 60–90 s for the fresh, or a 2–3 min for the dry, until the thick, soft, wheat noodle is an even, soft bite, not raw in the middle. Tip it out immediately and drain it well — a light cold-water rinse is optional, and the noodles article covers the balance of the boil-and-drain logic, and the one that sets the balance of the bowl against the salt-and-sweet of the dashi.
- The bowl, assembled. Into each of the two bowls, the drained udon, and the hot dashi broth poured over it — the salt-and-sweet half of the balance of the broth, and the sweet note of the udon, with the fragrance of the scallion and the smoke note of the katsuobushi on top.
Common failures
- A flat, "just broth" bowl. The dashi was under-pulled (the kombu rest too short, a weak kombu, or the bonito missing) or the tare-style soy and mirin were under-done, so the salt-and-sweet half of the balance is missing. Use a drier kombu, rest it longer, use a longer dark flake, and taste the broth before the udon goes in.
- The pork is dry, stringy, and braised out. The 5 mm slice was cut too thick, or it ran long in the dashi (step 3), so it cooked in its own rendered fat and dried out. The 5 mm slice is the one that sets the 2–3 min window, and the salt-and-sweet of the broth is the one that carries the marinated pork to the balance of the bowl.
- The broth is flat, and the udon is a sweet note without a top note. The katsuobushi was under-done, or the salt of the light soy was left out, so the balance is a sweet note without the top note. Taste the bowl against the broth, and back it with a 15 ml more of the light soy, and a 1 handful more of the katsuobushi on top.
Variations & substitutions
- A "chicken" (torimiso-style) version. The same dashi, the same udon, but the pork is swapped for a 200 g of the thin-cut chicken thigh, and the salt-and-sweet of the broth is the balance of the bowl against the udon.
- A "seared" (sukiyaki-style) version. The same dashi and the same udon, but the pork is pan-heat-seared in a little oil before it goes into the dashi, and the salt-and-sweet of the broth is the balance of the bowl against the crisp, even, deep gold surface of the pork.
- A "plain, udon-only" version. The same dashi and the same udon, but the pork is dropped, and the broth is a clean, simple, balance of the dashi — the udon alone, the cleanest version of the soup, the one that lets the boil-and-drain logic do the whole job.
What to serve with it
This is the udon of the section — the thick, soft, wheat noodle, carried over the dashi broth, and the marinated pork. It pairs with the ramen (the dashi-based, braised chashu broth of the same family) and the wonton noodles (the light, egg noodle, with the wonton on the side). A clean, simple plate of onigiri or a bowl of miso soup is the "cut" against the salt-and-sweet udon of the broth.