Tanuki Udon

Ingredients

• •4 cups dashi
• •1/4 cup soy sauce
• •3 tbsp mirin
• •1 tbsp sugar
• •4 servings udon noodles
• •1 cup tenkasu (crispy tempura bits)
• •2 green onions, sliced
• •Shichimi togarashi, for serving

Steps

1. 1.Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a pot and bring to a simmer, tasting and adjusting the seasoning to a balance of savory and lightly sweet.
2. 2.Cook the udon noodles according to package directions, then drain and divide among serving bowls.
3. 3.Ladle the hot broth over the noodles.
4. 4.Top generously with the tenkasu right before serving, not any earlier - tenkasu turns soft and loses its crunch quickly once it's in hot broth, which is why it's added at the very last moment, ideally at the table.
5. 5.Garnish with sliced green onion and a shake of shichimi togarashi, and eat right away while some of the tenkasu is still crisp - the name tanuki comes from an Edo-period pun, when tempura bits stood in for the 'missing' main topping in a cheaper version of tempura udon.