Secret to any Japanese noodle soup
When talking about Japanese noodle dishes such as Udon or Soba, the soup is usually the highlight. The main ingredient for a proper noodle stock is “Katsuobushi” (dried Bonito flakes). To make “Katsuobushi”, boil Bonito at 90 °C, smoke it for 4-5 hours and repeat these 12 times. Then, store the flakes for 2 weeks. After that, boil them with Kombu seaweed. Finally, you have the dashi (Japanese soup stock) as your soup base.
Thanks to today’s technology, cooking is made easier, especially with the arrival of Mentsuyu. Mentsuyu is basically a sauce base made from a high quality Katsuobushi and soy sauce. It no longer takes weeks to make a proper soup base. It is 7 times rich in flavor, and with a few adding it in soup, the soup is full of taste. Moreover, it is incredibly versatile: It can be mixed with either hot or cold water to create an authentic Japanese dish. It is also great as a dipping sauce for Tempura. Thus, Mentsuyu is suitable for restaurants that want convenience and speed.
Apart from the soup base, Japanese people pay attention on how to cook noodles properly. Different types of noodle require different cooking techniques. For example, Soba noodle needs to be boiled until tender and set to rest for 7 minutes. It can be served as either hot or cold dish. Adding vegetables or garnishes such as Negi (Japanese bunching onion), radish, or a small chunk of wasabi also helps elevate the dish. Another example is Somen in which noodles must be boiled and soaked in ice cold water, and when serving ice fake should be sprinkled over the noodles in order to avoid tangling to be dipped into Mentsuyu. For Udon, the noodles should be boiled only 30 seconds to get that tenderness without becoming too mushy.
Lastly, it is all about giving that lasting impression to your customers. Be it food presentation, atmosphere of the restaurant, or a good service with a touch of Japanese dining experience.
