Thursday, February 18, 2021

Niku Soba - 肉そば - Beef Noodle Soup

I made myself some Sukiyaki for dinner last night, so had some of the exquisitely thinly sliced marbled beef left over and was casting about for something to do with it while it was still at its prime. In casting, my eye landed on a container of chashu marinade; the byproduct of making chashu pork during my last ramen week. These things, combined with an abundance of vegetables needing used up inspired me to give this dish a try.

If you’re not a ramen-making person, you can make yourself a small batch of something very much like chashu marinade by combining 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup sake, and 1/4 cup sugar. It won’t have the pork belly goodness, but is a fair substitute.

As many Japanese recipes do, this one calls for dashi soup stock. You can buy powders, bags to soak in hot water like a tea bag, or surrender to the siren song of washoku and make your own. Nami will help you.

Niku Soba - 肉そば

  • 2 cups dashi
  • 1 cup chashu or ramen egg marinade
  • 1 teaspoon chili bean paste (toban djang)
  • ~ 10 broccoli florets
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 green onion
  • 2 leaves green cabbage
  • ~ 10 shimeji mushrooms
  • 1/4 pound sukiyaki beef
  • 1 teaspoon miso
  • Soba noodles
  • Bean sprouts
Wash and prepare vegetables. Carrots should be peeled and sliced on the diagonal.

Combine dashi, marinade, and chili bean paste in a donabe or similar sized pot. Heat until the mixture is near boiling. Place broccoli and carrot in the broth and cover. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Prepare soba noodles according to package instructions.

Add remaining ingredients except for the bean sprouts and simmer for a further 2 minutes.

Using a spoon-sized sieve and chopsticks or spoon, dissolve the miso into the broth. Be sure the broth is well below the boiling point so you don’t kill the live cultures in the miso.

Place noodles in a ramen bowl and ladle soup over it.

Garnish with bean sprouts.

Itadakimasu! - いただきます

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