Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

-vol. 5-

In this corner, Japanese chefs from restaurants in the Tri-State area share their secret recipes of home-style Japanese dishes with you.

In a cozy hideout in the East Village, Chiyono Murano, the owner-chef of Chiyono, has been serving Japanese comfort food. Her dishes reflect the flavors of her hometown in Fukushima prefecture and, more specifically, her mother’s influence. This month, she introduces her recipe for Cold Udon Noodles with Miso-Flavored Meat Sauce. She uses dried sanuki udon noodles to make this summertime meal. Sanuki udon is a bit thick and chewy, and this makes it perfect for eating with chunky miso-flavored meat sauce. “I suggest using ground pork because I think pork goes very well with miso. If you like, you can add ginger or toubanjan [red chili pepper paste] for extra seasoning,” says Chef Murano. These slick and cold udon noodles are truly fresh and will be sure to tempt your appetite!

Chiyono
328 E. 6th St. (bet. 1st & 2nd Ave.), New York, NY 10003
TEL: 212-6a73-3984

Ingredients (Serves 2 people)

2 bunches sanuki udon noodles
1 stalk scallion
0.5 piece cucumber
0.5-0.6 lb. ground pork
1.5 tablespoon miso (mix white miso and red miso)*
0.5 tablespoon sugar
0.5 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
White sesame as garnish

*Miso has many different varieties: dark, light, salty, smooth, chunky, etc. White miso tends to be lighter than red miso, which has a richer flavor. Combining different types of miso adds depth of flavor to dishes.

STEPS

1. Put sanuki udon noodles in boiling water for about 7-8 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse in running water.
2. Separate green part of scallion from white part. Shred green part and julienne white part.

3. Julienne cucumber.

4. Combine white miso and red miso in ratio of your choosing.

5. Sautee ground pork in pan with oil.
6. Once pork is cooked, add scallion (green part only), combined miso, sugar, sake, and soy sauce. Stir well.

7. Place drained noodles on plate and top with miso sauce.
8. Garnish with scallion (white part), cucumber, and sprinkle white sesame.