Mini Challenge: Japanese Cooking (Cold Inaniwa Udon)

I love Japanese food; and given that I’m a vegetarian, the choices can be so limited but that doesn’t mean all of them are off limits to me. Anyway, when Natalie of In Spring it is the Dawn came up with a fun mini challenge about Japanese cooking, I just couldn’t pass this up.

Here is one of my favourite dishes which I love to prepare whenever I’m in the mood for Japanese food. It may look and sound simple, but I love the taste and I don’t think I’d ever get tired of eating it, hehe.

Inaniwa Udon

I love udon! There are so many varieties of udon out there in the market, and it can be pretty confusing (at least to me) since there are types of udon for different cooking methods: dried cold udon, stir fried udon or udon with miso soup. Among these dishes, my favourite has to be cold Inaniwa udon. I will usually order this from a favourite Japanese restaurant located near to my office, but after the relocation I rarely go there anymore (due to the distance but I will visit for special occasions).

Anyway I learnt from Google that Inaniwa udon (稲庭うどん) is made in Akita Prefecture in Northern Japan and is considered as one of the highest quality udon made in the country. I couldn’t find any in the Japanese supermarkets that matched the one which I eat at the restaurant, but I do find one brand that match closely in terms of the udon texture. Another thing I liked is their udon are already sorted in 4 bunches so that means you that means you don’t have to estimate the proportion.

(Above pic shows my favourite noodle brand and konbu dashi)

Once you have decided on the quantity, cook them in boiling water for about 6 minutes (or until their texture have turned soft). Scoop them up and put them into cold ice water. Aside from making it a cold dish, this also helps for a smooth texture so they won’t stick together and thus, affect the taste. Scoop them onto a dish (you may wish to spread some shredded seaweeds on top and/or add in a few ice cubes) and served with a small bowl of cold konbu dashi (kelp stock). I don’t know about you, but it makes me drool whenever I think of this dish. I hope you will try it if you are interested!

Finally, thanks to Natalie for hosting this fun challenge!