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| Stop sniggering at the back |
Many, many years ago, while we were still at university, my husband and I were mildly obsessed with a messageboard on a community website called b3ta. One of the (rather puerile) delights thrown up by this board was the strangely hypnotic video below, with its shades of Torvill and Dean.
Even now, I'm prone to lustily singing out its emphatic refrain - although always, always in the privacy of my own home.
You see, if you aren't already aware of the colloquial meaning of the word "bukkake", it's probably best that you don't Google it, as it's really, really NSFW*.
However, if you do Google the phrase "bukkake udon", you'll find this wonderful dish from Japan which is perfect for cooling you down in this muggy, summer weather.
Udon noodles are doused in tsuyu - a chilled mirin and dashi-based sauce - and then crunchy, salty, zingy toppings of your choice are tossed all over the top.
Bukkake udon is fresh and delicious, with a nice balance of textures and flavours - a little like a noodle salad, but with a bit more oomph.
And if you really aren't keen on using its proper name, you can also refer to it as hiyashi udon which just means chilled udon noodles ^_^
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| Bukkake Udon aka Hiyashi Udon |
Bukkake Udon - Chilled Udon Noodles with Splashed Sauce
Serves 2 | Takes 30 minutes to make, 10 minutes to cook
300g fresh udon noodles (approx two individual packets)
For the sauce (tsuyu - you can buy it in bottles too - dilute to use):
- 4 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
- 250ml dashi (instant is fine)
- 1 tsp caster sugar
For the toppings - these are not prescriptive, so feel free to pick any or all of them, or substitute your own**:
- 2 soft boiled eggs
- 1 spring onion, shredded
- Handful of dried nori (seaweed strips)
- Handful of dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
- 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
- Handful of tenkasu (these are tempura crumbs which are basically like scraps - you can buy them in packets or make your own from batter)
Blanch the noodles by pouring plenty of boiling water over them in a heat-proof bowl and leaving them to soak for 5 minutes. Drain, separate the strands, and set to one side.
Now make the sauce. Put the mirin in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the soy sauce, dashi and sugar, and mix well. Bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat, leave to cool and refrigerate.
Divide the noodles between two bowls. Generously drizzle the chilled sauce all over and then scatter on the toppings. Serve immediately with chopsticks, and Asian soup spoons if you have them.
**This recipe is an adaptation of page 123 of my book NOODLE! (Absolute Press) where you'll find lots more ideas of different ingredients you can use to top the dish.
*If I admitted that the reason I agreed to write Noodle! in the end was so I could slip this recipe in, would you think any less of me?
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