Kitsune Udon

Method

1. Wipe the kombu lightly with a damp cloth (don't wash off the white powder; it is flavour) and put it in a 18 cm pot with the water. If you have time, let it soak for 30 minutes first. Heat slowly over medium-low heat for 10 min; when tiny bubbles appear around the edge, just before it boils, take the kombu out. Boiled kombu makes the broth slimy and fishy.

   Add in this stepWater (for the broth) 850 mlKombu 8 g

   medium-low heat

2. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat; when the broth comes to a boil, add all the bonito flakes and turn the heat off at once. Leave it for 2 min, until the flakes sink, then pour it through a sieve lined with kitchen paper and let it drip through without squeezing; squeezing makes it bitter and cloudy.

   Add in this stepBonito flakes (katsuobushi) 15 g

   medium-high heat

3. Spread the aburaage in a sieve and pour boiling water over it to rinse off the surface oil; once cool, press it between your palms to squeeze out the water. Cut each sheet diagonally into 2 triangles. Put the water, sugar, soy sauce and mirin in a 16 cm small pot, lay the tofu in it and cover the surface with a circle of baking paper with a hole in the middle. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 min, turning once, until only a little liquid is left in the bottom and the tofu is plump and deep brown.

   Add in this stepAburaage (thin fried tofu sheets) 2Water (for the tofu) 150 mlSugar (for the tofu) 1½ tbspSoy sauce (for the tofu) 1½ tbspMirin (for the tofu) 1 tbsp

   medium-low heat

4. Pour the strained dashi back into the pot, add the soy sauce, mirin and salt and heat over medium heat for 3 min. It is ready when it steams and the surface just trembles at the edges; a hard boil drives off the aroma. Taste and add a little more salt if needed, then keep it warm on low while the noodles cook.

   Add in this stepSoy sauce (light Japanese usukuchi if you can find it) 2½ tbspMirin 2½ tbspSalt ½ tsp

   medium heat

5. Bring 3 L of water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat, drop in the udon straight from the freezer and cook for 1 min 30 sec, loosening it with chopsticks. When the noodles have separated and are soft and translucent all the way through, drain and shake off the water.

   Add in this stepFrozen udon noodles (about 200 g per portion) 2

   high heat

6. Warm the bowls with hot water, pour it out and add the udon. Ladle in plenty of hot broth and top each bowl with 2 pieces of tofu, the kamaboko and spring onion. Sprinkle with shichimi to taste.

   Add in this stepSpring onion, thinly sliced 20 gKamaboko fish cake, sliced 5 mm thick 4Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) to taste