YAKI UDON

Yaki Udon image

Yield serves 2

Number Of Ingredients 18

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ounces pork belly, thinly sliced
6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails off, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sliced lotus root (renkon)
1/3 cup thinly sliced carrots (1-inch by 2-inch rectangles, 1/8 inch thick)
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 cup stemmed enoki mushrooms
1/4 cup shimeji mushrooms
1/2 cup Udon Broth (page 66)
2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
18 ounces frozen udon noodles (2 packages), thawed
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/4 cup finely shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Steps:

Rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid and set aside.
Set a large sauté pan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Add the pork and shrimp; cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring often, until the shrimp just turn pink but neither is cooked through. Transfer the cooked pork and shrimp to a plate but keep the oil in the pan.
With the pan over high heat, add the lotus root, carrots, cabbage, onions, bamboo shoots, and wood ear, enoki, and shimeji mushrooms. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, if necessary. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes longer, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 1 minute, just long enough to heat through. Drain well.
Add the noodles to the pan with the vegetables, then add the pork and shrimp. Mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the shrimp and pork are fully cooked and the vegetables are soft. Season with the salt and black pepper.
To serve, divide the noodles between 2 plates. Garnish with the katsuobushi.