East Asia - Kitsune Udon (Japan)

This post is dedicated to my dear friends at Sake Puppets, who, in between pretending what are clearly not moths are Mothra and hassling cats and giving me night terrors, have requested that I post something involving ingredients that exist in Japan, because apparently they live in a city of umpteen-million people and like seven grocery stores.  Or something.  So, of course, I went with the dish with the cutest name: kitsune udon.

Red (Source)

Kitsune means "fox" in Japanese, and foxes are a big part of Japanese folklore.  They are crafty and smart and magic and sometimes have multiple tails, which means they are the craftiest and smartest and magic-est foxes of all.  Foxes sometimes take the shape of pretty ladies, and also sometimes possess ladies, which is creepy, but they are so adorable, all is forgiven.  Kitsune udon gets its name from the tofu, called aburaage, which is both the color of fox fur and is a favorite food of kitsune.  It's also often cut into triangles, like wee little fox ears!  God, don't you just want to eat all this up?  (Yes, you do.  Because it is both tasty and squee.)

Fennec. (Source)

In its purest form, kitsune udon is just tofu, noodles, and broth, with a sprinkling of sliced green onions.  If you want a traditional kitsune udon, the kind offered to shape-shifting fox gods, then just ignore all the frippery I added to mine.  I like to think that the kitsune are OK with my desire to be more nutritionally balanced with my meals.  Also, traditional kitsune udon calls for aburaage, which is thinly-sliced deep-friend tofu, also called tofu pouches (atsuage is the same thing, only more robust in slice).  It's relatively easy to find in Asian groceries, but I wasn't about to hike it out to the suburbs to buy some, so I just used regular, extra-firm tofu that I fried up in a little oil.  Again, not exactly authentic, and it probably wouldn't appease any vengeful vulpines, but it did make my life a lot easier.

Bat-eared. (Source)

To start, you will need dashi broth.  Dashi is a common Japanese soup stock made by boiling together kombu (dried kelp) and bonito flakes (shavings from katsuobushi, a fermented tuna).  You can make a vegetarian version by omitting the fish scrapings.  I made mine by soaking a 6-inch piece of kombu with 6 c. of water, a few dried shiitake mushrooms, and a couple of slices of ginger together overnight.

Arctic. (Source)

If you are using aburaage/atsuage, you'll want to rinse the tofu with boiling water to remove any excess oil and allow to drain.  If you're making a rough approximation yourself, pan-fry slices of tofu in a little oil until golden brown.  Then, in a saucepan, mix together 1 c. dashi broth, 1 T. sugar, 1 T. mirin, and 2 t. soy sauce.  Bring to a boil, add the tofu, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one-half.  While your tofu is a-simmerin', cook your udon noodles: boil some water, add the noodles, then add a cup of cold water when the water returns to a boil (this helps the noodle cook evenly).  Repeat until the noodles are done, then portion out into deep bowls.

Grey. (Source)

[If you're going the sort-of-authentic route, skip this part.]  In a saute pan, heat some oil and fry up a couple cloves of minced garlic until fragrant.  Add roughly chopped broccolini and cook until the stems are tender.  Toss in a handful of snow peas and stir.  Add some sliced bok choy and cook until everything is done to your liking, then add a dash (or two or three) of teriyaki sauce and let that cook down.  Remove from the heat and save until everything else is ready.

Mulder. (Source)

For your noodle broth, mix together 4 c. dashi, 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. mirin, 1/2 t. salt, and 1 t. sugar.  Heat until warmed through, but do not let it boil.  When hot, ladle some over the noodles, then top with the tofu (and vegetables, if you are sacrilegious).  Add chopped green onions and shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice powder) to taste.

Udon.

Enjoy while making a silent prayer to Inari, one of the main kami (spirits) of Shintoism who is a friend to all the foxes, for either fertility, rice, or worldly success, depending on what sort of thing you're into.

Oh, and Ang?  This is Mothra:

Even Godzilla's all, "Whoa, dude—I'm just hanging out by the greenhouse, hatching an egg.  IT'S COOL."