When I was growing up there were two kinds of Japanese noodles. Ramen, mostly eaten at home from a package with added eggs and vegetables, and udon, mostly Nabeyaki Udon, eaten in restaurants--preferably garnished with headless shrimp tempura. I didn't have udon at home until I was older and we found some Japanese markets that carried it. Still, we didn't make it very often because the packaged udon was so much softer than than the noodles we got in a restaurant and the broth that came with it bore no resemblance to what I was used to. It just wasn't very good.
Everybody knows that Alex has a thing for noodles. Unfortunately for me he tends to fixate on Italian noodles. Soupy noodles don't really do it for him. So I had to take matters into my own hands. I found a recipe for home made udon noodles and proceeded to make the dough. It requires a long rest and the day got away from me so Alex put the dough in the fridge to rest overnight. The next day I pulled the dough out to warm up and then got distracted again, so it sat there on the counter for a few hours. At around 2:30pm, Alex was unable to stand it any longer and began to roll out the dough. (Was that my secret plan? I'll never tell.)
The dough is unusual because it requires a large amount of salt. Udon is notable for its texture, the noodles swell in the cooking liquid and become pliant and toothsome. You sink your teeth into these noodles and they have a firm but gentle chew to them. They are generally served in broth but since Alex had taken over the project, he served them bathed in a sauce of butter, parmigiano, and black pepper. They were delicious, unexpectedly perfect for the sauce. We've been discussing pasta a lot lately, analyzing the different doughs from different cultures and what makes them special. This Japanese dough was perfect for this Italian spin, but I'm still looking forward to tasting the udon in a more traditional dish. Of course now that he's tasted them, I'll have to fight him for the rest of the dough. Good thing the noodles will be good no matter what we do with them.
Happy Birthday Alex!!!
Years Past
May 16, 2009
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