Yakiudon

From yesterday's Middle-Eastern dish, we now go even further east to... Japan, the land of the rising sun ;) Hadi is currently taking Japanese as a language unit, whereas I am a HUGE fan of Japanese dramas, anime and manga - Ihsan the otaku, that's me! So is it any suprise that we (or at least I) would try and cook our own Japanese food?

When you say Japanese food, people almost immediately think... "Sushi!" Or in the case of Brunei "Excapades sushi!" (darn, I realised that I don't have a review for Excapades yet, how strange... But Kaizen Sushi is the way to go - in my opinion ;) ) But really, a typical Japanese meal would be relatively similar to ours, with rice and one or more side dishes.

Like us with our mee hoon and kway teow, the Japanese also have several noodles , the most common being soba or udon. But the noodles are not just limited to type - they can also be categorized according to region! Certain regions are often known for producing high quality products. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury :P I have to settle for dried udon from the local oriental supermarket.

Japan is an island country and consume large amounts of seafood and fish, and not so much on the beef, chicken, or other meats. Accordingly, typical yakiudon recipes are often seafood-based. Unfortunately, seafood in the UK is expensive - and I am allergic to most of them anyway. In Excapades or Kaizen Sushi, their yakiudon are also seafood dishes, or look very unappetizing, so I never got to try their dishes either. But I've always wanted to try the Japanese version of fried noodles ;) So what am I to do in this case, but cook it for myself at home? :D Here we go!

What you need:
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
125 ml Japanese soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
500g fresh Udon noodles (I just used a whole packet of dried ones)
2 tablespoons oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, extra, finely chopped
2 dried chillies, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
White pepper, for seasoning
Sesame seeds, for garnishing

What you do:

1. Place the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water for at least 10 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain, reserving 60ml for later.
3. Discard the stems, squeeze dry the caps and thinly slice.
4. Combine the crushed garlic, ginger, Japanese soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and reserved mushroom soaking liquid in a jug.
5. Cook the noodles according to instructions. Drain, and run through cold water.
6. Heat a wok over high heat, add half of the oil and swirl to coat.
7. Add the chicken in batches and stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until browned. Set aside.
   
8. Add the remaining oil and swirl to coat.
9. Add the extra garlic, mushrooms and chillies, stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
10. Add the noodles and stir-fry for another minute. Return the chicken to the wok and add the spring onion, sesame oil and soy sauce mixture, stirring, until well mixed and heated through.
11. Season with white pepper and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

You may have noticed that we don't eat a lot of noodles (or pasta, for that matter). One reason is that they're more expensive (per kg) as compared to rice. Also, Hadi and Justin just don't get full easily on them. We have to cook so much more, just so that they get full. And to be honest, our pots are seriously not big enough sometimes.

I've cooked a couple of udon dishes before this, one of them being Teriyaki Chicken with Udon Noodles. I like udon noodles, as I've mentioned there, hehe. They are so thick and silky and absorb the sauce so nicely! This dish wasn't an exception. The soy sauce mixture clung nicely to the noodles, making them sticky and oh-so-yummy!

The yakiudon was quite distinct from the Teriyaki Chicken with Udon Noodles, mostly because of the shiitake mushrooms. Here, their flavour is subtle and contributes nicely to the soy sauce. The chicken was not marinated at all, but still managed to absorb the sauce nicely. Hadi and Justin, of course, enjoyed the mushrooms and chillies, whilst I stayed as far away from them as possible :P

One big difference between Japanese food and our food though, would be that Japanese food is much more healthier :P Japanese have one of the lowest cardiovascular problems in the world, apparently, yet they are very obsessed with food. They want the best and the freshest ingredients possible. There, their foods are not just labelled with the date, but the TIME it was packed as well. (Hadi bought a book called Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat - very interesting book!) Presentation plays a big part in their eating (as you might be able to guess from your sushi dishes, hehe) and apparently, if done right, will help you eat less! Ahahaha, to believe or not to believe? ;) If you want to know more, read the book :D

Quote of the day: Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography.