Takashi's Noodles

Introduction

From hand-cut soba to a hearty bowl of ramen, Japanese love their noodles.

I'm no exception. This book will introduce you to my country's comfort food, from traditional preparations to modern twists, including Italian pasta, Japanese style. It will explain the varieties and flavors of these versatile dishes, and guide you to vibrant-sometimes surprising-ingredients. And in the pages that follow, I'll share personal recipes inspired by my two decades cooking here in America. All the recipes in this book are delicious dishes you can cook at home. Just ask my family.

I grew up in Mito, Japan, a small city 100 miles northeast of Tokyo near the Pacific Ocean. Back then, in the 1960s, my hometown was surrounded by rice fields and vegetable plots-and the farmers personally delivered their bounty by motorcycle. The rumble of engines announced their arrival to my house each morning, with a crate lashed to the rear rack overflowing with just-picked eggplant, daikon, carrots, and greens. These deliveries-fish and handmade tofu, too-were so frequent that my mother didn't own a refrigerator!

My passion for noodles started early. We were lucky enough to live on a block with two family-run noodle restaurants, both a 5-minute walk from my house. This was a godsend to my hardworking parents, both busy accountants-so we ate plenty of fresh noodles during the week. I attended elementary school with the kids from one of those places, the Azuma-an soba shop, which cultivated my taste for noodles even more. Playing at their house after class meant stepping into the noodle version of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, since their living quarters were attached to the restaurant in the traditional Japanese style. I still remember staring awestruck at cooks portioning long sheets of fresh soba dough with monstrous knives and tossing the strands into gurgling pots large enough for me to bathe in.

As I got older I started cooking for myself after my studies. The very first dish I ever prepared was noodles-but Ihave to admit they were the instant kind. In high school I took a job scrubbing pots at the restaurant attached to the local cultural center. This place served European-style food and gave me my first taste of Italian pasta and sauces.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that humble kitchen job launched a culinary career that transported me from Mito and Tokyo to Chicago, Detroit, and Las Vegas. I started in local mom-and-pop storefronts in Japan and after years of hard work became a James Beard Award-winning chef running French and Japanese restaurants here in America.

The cuisine I've created at my restaurants has been contemporary and modern, celebrated as among the finest in America by such publications as the New York Times and Food & Wine. I'm grateful for those accolades-and I love creating dishes that draw from the best of French and Japanese cuisine. But I also love my soul food, and have never stopped yearning for it: the simple, delicious noodles I still prepare at home for my family. I now want to share my favorite recipes with other cooks here in America.

You can find noodles everywhere in Japan, from noodle stands in train stations to neighborhood noodle shops to elegant noodle restaurants. And at home, noodles are a staple of nearly every kitchen. We enjoy a wide variety of noodles in Japan: hearty buckwheat soba, chewy udon, vermicelli-like somen, and "Chinese noodles," or ramen, which is extremely popular throughout the country. Pan-Asian noodles, from Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea, are also fashionable, as is Italian pasta, like the kind I first tasted back in Mito. But as these imports have become a part of the cuisine, they've adopted a uniquely Japanese character.

This book dedicates a chapter to each of these styles of noodles. I cover traditional preparations that I've enjoyed since I was a child, including soba with hot, crispy tempura. I also introduce elegant recipes influenced by my modern, cross-cultural cooking, such as udon with heirloom tomatoes and ratatouille. And I include recipes that may surprise you, such as spaghetti with clams and seaweed. My dishes are extremely versatile, ranging from simple to elegant, hot to cold, and summer favorites to winter treats.

In addition to noodle recipes, I'll include a chapter on side dishes-authentic favorites such as gyoza dumplings, grilled squid, and tofu.

If your life is as busy as mine, juggling my career, family, the kids' soccer games-even my two dogs make demands-I know you'll appreciate the recipes in this book. Whether simple or elegant, my noodles are healthy and satisfying comfort foods that are a snap to pull together on any school night. Your kids will love them! And noodles won't burn a crater in your wallet: they're an economical way to stretch a budget and still enjoy quality meals, whether you're cooking for an entire family or just yourself. When you finish reading my book, you'll understand why we Japanese so crave our noodles, and I guarantee you will, too.

Now, before you delve into my recipes, please read the following tips, which will help you get the most out of my book.

Buying Noodles

Noodles, of course, are the most important ingredient in this book, but how do you find the right kind? Japanese and Asian noodles usually come in two varieties, fresh-frozen or dried. You can typically find good-quality dried soba, udon, somen, ramen, and rice noodles in the "ethnic" food aisles of many large supermarkets. Finding fresh-frozen noodles, though, is a bit trickier. If you live near a city with a large Asian population, you can find specialized Asian or Japanese markets that often carry a big selection of both fresh-frozen and dried noodles.

The following guide will help you shop for the different types of noodles you'll need to prepare my recipes

Ramen. You can find fresh-frozen or dried ramen at Japanese markets. Fresh-frozen ramen takes about 2 to 3 minutes to cook, while dried takes longer. Please follow package instructions, but be careful: frozen ramen noodles are easy to overcook. Make sure you ready all parts of the recipe first, then cook the noodles as a last step and serve immediately. I recommend frozen ramen noodles because the egg flavor is more pronounced, but feel free to substitute dried noodles in any of the recipes. Another option is to find fresh "chow mein" noodles in Chinese or Asian markets (sometimes called "Chinese egg noodles"). These noodles are, in fact, ramen-they originated in China.

Soba and Udon. You can buy fresh-frozen, precooked soba and udon at Japanese markets, which is really convenient: all you do is quickly heat them in boiling water, and they're ready (follow package instructions). Like frozen ramen noodles, though, be careful not to overcook frozen soba or udon-frozen soba take only a minute to cook. These noodles are often portioned into serving sizes, too, so you can store them in the freezer and use as many portions as you need. Dried soba and udon are another option. Dried soba takes 3 to 4 minutes to cook, while dried udon will take longer. Be sure to follow package instructions for exact cooking times. With udon, by the way, I use two styles (there are many), sanuki, which is like thick spaghetti, and inaniwa, which resembles linguine. Finally, you can also make soba from scratch, which takes a little work, but the taste is incomparable. Please see my recipe on page 38.

Somen. These noodles are usually sold dried. Vermicelli-like somen cooks extremely fast-in about a minute. Follow package instructions for the exact cooking time.

Other Asian Noodles. I use two kinds of Asian noodles in this book: rice noodles and bean thread noodles. Rice noodles are sold dried and come in a wide variety of styles. For my recipes, stick to the rice noodles that look like fettuccine. Bean thread noodles are also sold dried and are called harusame in Japanese markets or saifun in Asian markets. They both cook quickly. Be sure to follow package instructions for exact cooking times.

Pasta. Italian noodles abound everywhere, of course. Try to find pasta actually made in Italy, if possible; the taste is often better. I like store-bought fresh noodles, too, which are easily available. And if you have a pasta maker, follow my instructions for fresh Egg Pasta (page 112), which I use in a number of dishes.

Cooking Noodles

There are a couple of rules for cooking noodles. First, make sure you cook Japanese and Asian noodles in plenty of plain, unsalted water in a pot large enough to hold 4 quarts. For pasta, add 3 tablespoons of salt to the 4 quarts of water. Noodles need a lot of room to swim around in the pot while they boil, so they all cook through evenly.

Now, whether you're preparing fresh or dried noodles, keep in mind that all cooking times are approximate-you have to taste them for doneness. Like Italians, Japanese enjoy their noodles cooked al dente (what we call koshi). When I was growing up, my mother taught me an easy way to check if noodles are ready, a technique I still use today: simply pull a couple of noodles out of the cooking pot with chopsticks or tongs, run them under cold water, and bite into them. They should be tender and cooked through, but not mushy. Don't hesitate to check for doneness several times while your noodles are cooking.

Cooling Down Noodles

If you're preparing one of my cold noodle recipes, here's how to cool just-cooked noodles so they keep their flavor and firm texture: First, prepare an ice bath. Next, get a colander ready in the sink. Once the noodles are cooked, quickly drain them into the colander and rinse under plenty of cold running water. At first, this water may appear slightly milky, because noodles can give off excess surface starch. Once the water turns clear, you're done. Next, place the noodles in the ice bath, which is simply a mixing bowl filled with water and lots of ice, for 30 seconds. When they're cool, remove them by hand, squeezing the noodles gently to shed any excess water. Transfer them to a plate and top with a few ice cubes so they keep cool. (You can let the ice slowly melt over the noodles.)

Blanching and Shocking Vegetables

Throughout the book, you'll see that I ask you to quickly cook vegetables in boiling water, then just as quickly cool them in an ice bath. Why? This technique is what we chefs call "blanching and shocking." By boiling vegetables for 30 seconds to 1 minute before you cook them further, you're removing any bitterness and raw taste from the ingredient and concentrating its natural flavor. Placing the vegetables in an ice bath immediately after boiling stops the process instantly, hence, the "shock." Be sure not to actually cook the ingredient at this stage-you're just lightly blanching it. Also, before starting to blanch, be sure to have an ice bath ready.

Dashi

Dashi, or stock, plays a vitally important role in Japanese cooking. For most of its history, Japan was a society that did not consume meat or poultry, relying only on vegetables and seafood. As a result, the butter and animal fats found in Western cuisine did not exist in Japan. Instead, we relied on dashi as the fundamental flavoring agent of our food. I cook with dashi throughout this book. Although dashi is made from a variety of ingredients, in the recipes that follow I rely on the classic combination of dried shaved bonito and dried kelp.

Preparing dashi from scratch is not difficult, but if you're pressed for time, you can also use "dashi packs." These packs look like large tea bags and contain the ingredients in powdered form. All you do is drop it into a pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, and simmer. (Follow package instructions for exact cooking times.) Toss the used pack, and you're done. They're fast, efficient, and economical, and they can sit on your shelf for months. You can find dashi packs in Japanese markets and online. There are a few types, but stick to the "kombu and katsuobushi" variety (kelp and bonito) for my recipes.

One final note: you might come across instant dashi products, much like powdered soup bouillon, in your supermarket. Avoid them. They're loaded with artificial ingredients, and I never use them.

Eating Noodles, Japanese Style

Finally, here's the most important advice I can give you when eating Japanese noodles: slurp loudly! There's a practical reason for this: when you're eating hot noodles, slurping cools the noodles as they enter your mouth, so you can consume them quickly, as they taste best when they're hottest. With cold noodles, slurping helps you suck up not just the noodle but also the cold sauce that accompanies it. Back in Japan, it's remarkable to listen to the sounds of a typical ramen shop during the lunchtime rush: besides the clanking of pots and pans and calling out of orders, it's usually eerily quiet-except for the sounds of customers slurping at full volume. Take a page out of their book and slurp away.