KIBŌ Brimming with Hope: Recipes & Stories from Japan’s Tohoku

Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press, 2012)

© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved by Elizabeth Andoh

Wanko Soba (Mini-Bowls Buckwheat Noodles, Moistened with Broth and Served with Condiments)

わんこ蕎麦

Although wanko soba is best known today as an item for fast-slurping, noodle-eating contests, the origins date back hundreds of years to a way in which soba noodles were served to guests. One story suggests that Lord Nambu Toshinao (1599-1632) was the first recipient of multiple, mini-bowl hospitality. While inspecting his domain (what is today Iwate Prefecture), Lord Nambu’s retainers were unsure if he would appreciate rustic local food. They offered him a small, elegantly aportioned bowlful of noodles at first, waiting to see his reaction. He enthusiastically downed the first portion of soba and immediately ordered more, and more… and more. I offer you two ways to enjoy wanko soba: SAVORING your noodles rather than gulping them down in a race against the clock, or FAST-SLURPING them moistened in just a bit of broth. Refer to Japanese soba noodles, a separate document, for instructions on buying, storing and cooking soba.

SAVORING Wanko Soba ALL QUANTITIES listed are PER PERSON. One bundle, about 3.5 ounces, wanko soba, cooked yakumi (condiment-garnishes):

1 tablespoon freshly grated daikon radish 1 teaspoon thinly sliced scallions

dab wasabi (horseradish) paste from tube 1/6 sheet yaki nori (toasted laver), cut with scissors into fine shreds

1/4 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, cracked or ground 1/2 cup Secondary Stock (see recipe, below) Place cooked soba noodles in individual deep bowls. Garnish each serving with condiments listed above. Pour stock over all, stir, and slurp.

FAST-SLURPING Wanko Soba ALL QUANTITIES listed are PER PERSON. About 1 ounce, wanko soba, cooked 1/2 cup Secondary Stock (see recipe, below) Moisten cooked soba noodles in broth just before placing in mini bowls. Slurp… Refill bowl, slurp…Refill bowl, slurp…Refill bowl, slurp…Refill bowl, slurp…

KIBŌ Brimming with Hope: Recipes & Stories from Japan’s Tohoku

Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press, 2012)

© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved by Elizabeth Andoh

Seasoned Soy Concentrate (Bannō-Jōyu) + Secondary Stock (Niban Dashi)

万能醤油 ・ ニ番だし Adapted from recipe on pg. 96

WASHOKU: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2005)

Make the multi-purpose, seasoned soy concentrate and store it in a tightly capped glass jar in your refrigerator for up to one month. Use it to enliven sauces, become a marinade, or add complexity of flavor to simmered foods. Use the remnants to make a secondary stock that can become a broth for soba noodles. For those wanting a vegan alternative to the classic concentrate, double the amount of kombu and dried shiitaké mushrooms and eliminate the dried sardines and bonito fish flakes.

dried shiitaké mushrooms (above, left)…ma kombu kelp (above, right)

iriko dried sardines (left); kezuri katsuo package (center) + loose strips (right)

katsuo-bushi small-packs (left) + large bag (right)

KIBŌ Brimming with Hope: Recipes & Stories from Japan’s Tohoku

Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press, 2012)

© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved by Elizabeth Andoh

INGREDIENTS to make about 2/3 cup concentrate 5 to 6 dried sardines (iriko), trimmed (head & black gut removed) 8 to 10 square inches kombu (kelp), preferably a high glutamate variety such as ma kombu, though all-purpose Hidaka kombu is fine 1 whole, or 3 to 4 stems from dried shiitaké mushrooms 2/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup saké 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons water 1/3 cup packed katsuo bushi flakes and/or atsu-kezuri katsuo (thick slices) Place the iriko, kombu, and dried shiitaké mushroom in a small, deep saucepan letting them infuse a mixture of the soy sauce and saké for at least 1 hour, and up to 12 hours. Add sugar, water, and mirin to the pan just before placing it on the stove over low heat. When the liquid begins to simmer, adjust the heat to keep it from boiling too vigorously.

As the sauce simmers, it becomes quite foamy, rising in the saucepan. Watch to be sure it does not overflow. Continue to simmer until the volume has been reduced by about one quarter, and the sauce has become a bit syrupy.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and sprinkle in the katsuo bushi flakes, if using them. When the flakes have settled, strain the liquid concentrate into to a small mason-type jar. Refrigerate up to one month.

KIBŌ Brimming with Hope: Recipes & Stories from Japan’s Tohoku

Elizabeth Andoh (Ten Speed Press, 2012)

© Copyright 2012. All rights reserved by Elizabeth Andoh

INGREDIENTS to make 2 cups Secondary Stock to use as

BROTH for Wanko Soba Soy-drenched bits of kombu, mushroom, and dried fish from making sauce, above 2 and 1/4 cups fresh cold water dizzle soy sauce, optional Place soy-drenched bits of kombu, mushroom, and dried fish from making sauce in a pot with fresh cold water. Bring it rapidly to a boil and strain immediately, this time discarding the solid pieces. The strained broth is niban dashi (literally, “second-time ‘round” stock), your BROTH for wanko soba.