Yasai Udon with Dashi Sauce

This dish is the combination of Yasai Kaminabe which is vegetables in paper hot pot and ‘Hor Fun’ but using udon and dashi stock base. It is best to use agedashi tofu for this dish. Replace china leek with nappa and udon with rice, if desired.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g enoki mushroom/golden mushroom, trimmed and blanched or raw
° 75g buna shimeji, trimmed and blanched
° 2-4 vegetarian crab meat sticks, blanched
° 1 stalk china leek (optional), sliced diagonally and blanched
° 1 (300g) pack silken tofu, cut into cube or deep-fried as agedashi tofu
° 2 packs (400g) udon noodle
° 750ml water, for cooking udon
° few slices fresh red chilli (optional), for garnish

Dashi Sauce
° 8 dried kelps in knot
° 2 thin slices ginger
° 600ml water, for soup base
° 50g carrot, cut into 2 chunks
° 2 shiitake mushrooms
° 1 teaspoon sugar
° ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° 30ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) or light soy sauce, or to taste
° 20ml mirin or 10ml cooking rice wine
° 1-1½ tablespoons tapioca flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Method
1. Place the udon in a pot or wok of lightly salted boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain the noodle thoroughly and divide among 2 individual serving bowls.
2. Place the dried kelps, shiitake mushroom, ginger, carrot and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove all the ingredients with a slotted spoon. Ensure that there is 500ml of stock, if not add in some water. Season to taste with sugar, salt, shoyu, and mirin. Add in the tapioca flour mixture, stirring constantly and bring to a boil.
3. Top the udon with enoki mushroom, buna shimeji, shiitake mushroom, china leek, tofu, carrot, vegetarian crab meat sticks and chilli.
4. Ladle the gravy into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.