There are some things in life you didn’t know you needed. Then you get them and it’s impossible to remember the before-times. They are forever after permanently ingrained in your lifestyle and the thought of not having them feels like uninventing the wheel. You know, electric toothbrushes and rice cookers. That sort of thing.
There are two things that stand out from our time in Japan that fall into this category. Although we are not terribly material people, buying non-matching waterproof high-top shoes to walk around in when it is raining revolutionized my sodden-socked life. The other is mazesoba.
Learning to cook from what is available in the local supermarkets in Fudomae was, at first, kinda terrifying, but slowly we got used to it and then realized that the quality and selection was far superior to what we’d get anywhere else. Part of the problem at the start was that, although there was all this delicious shit in the aisles, it was hard to know what to do with it. What is that seaweed for? Why are there so many kinds of tofu? We ate a lot of already familiar go-to staples like sushi-handrolls in those before-times, where we could replicate our existing repertoire with what was on offer in Ozeki and Tokyu.
I recall having mazesoba with you by accident when we couldn’t get into the curry and cheese place for the first time near Harajuku, and needed a quick fix. I’m not sure if this was the first time mazesoba came onto my radar, but it was one of the first, so it was as good a starting point as any. There was one of those moments of quiet revelation, when realizing that just plonking tasty stuff on warm noodles with an egg yolk on top was greater than the sum of its parts. An umami bomb of epic proportions, and almost endless customization opportunities.
There are few rules with this recipe, other than perhaps the necessity for some kind of salty, spicy ground meat or protein and a raw egg yolk. The game-changer was adding ground up katsuobushi (thank you Just One Cookbook), which takes the dish into a different realm. The rest is dealer’s choice. I’ve jealously enjoyed watching you make your own versions of this while I have been away. The challenge, to be honest, is recreating this outside Japan where all the tasty umami-bombs that lay scattered around the supermarkets in Fudomae aren’t readily available. But I’m sure that won’t stop us trying.
A&A’s Mazesoba
Shopping List
Must Haves
- Ground pork or chicken or beef. Lean with a bit of fat.
- Raw egg yolk
- Katsuobushi, ground to a powder
- Thick flour based noodles, ones with a lot of bite and texture.
Optional
The beauty of this dish is that you can really add anything. Things that go well tend to be salty or vinegary and cut up small, so they mix well into the noodz. Some things we like:
- Soy-marinated menma
- Tsukemono like pickled greens
- Garlic fried mushrooms
- Cut-up nori
- Kimchi
- Diced raw spring onion
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped and boiled green veg
HOW TO MAKE
The key here is prep, so have everything ready to assemble your bowl, then make the bowls and serve immediately. Retaining the warmth of the just-cooked noodles to re-heat the other ingredients – and to create that delicious eggy sauce – is the power move.
1. Fry your chosen protein in oil, some kind of chilli paste, soy and a little sesame oil. Add a little water when cooking so that you have a few tablespoons of salty meat juice in the pan, then turn off the heat. Add a tablespoon or two of the meat juices to the bottom of each of the serving bowls.
2. Prep everything else and have it ready. Grind your katsuo, chop your spring onions, separate your egg yolks etc.
3. Cook your noodles according to packet instructions. Transfer hot to serving bowls, on top of the meat juices. If needed mix with a little sesame oil to stop them sticking.
4. On top of the noodles, arrange piles of your different toppings like a clockface, making sure to leave a small divot in the middle to artfully place your egg yolk.
5. Add your egg yolk in the middle, serve immediately and, after taking the obligatory Instagram shot, mix furiously with chopsticks and enjoy.