;)Our wonderful friends Revis Meeks, Quyen Tran and Mike Tarantino put this video together. 

It was recorded during our first soba workshop in October of 2009.

How time flies!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBZa9Z

I am in Japan to bring back some fresh buckwheat flour for our upcoming Pop up soba event and soba workshop at Breadbar, West Hollywood.  Here is the link to Breadbar. 

Sado, Japan

  Keith is proud to serve his Chanko nabe.

Holiday season is always a tricky time to plan a workshop. Everybody's busy. Yesterday, I offered a make-up session for those who missed my last two hot pot workshops but Keith was the only one who could make it.  So we did a one-on-one, a new experience for both of us.  Keith was very sore from Aikido practice but he managed fine.  The aching ribs didn't get much in the way of cooking or eating.  

What's great about a one-on-one is that you get to design the class according to the person's needs. Keith was a novice in Japanese cuisine so he wanted to learn the basics. He brought along his pair of shiny new Japanese chef knives, which he carried in a wooden box. He said the knives were an investment.  I could see he was serious about cooking.  It's a good place to start because a dull knife will make a dull cook.  I bought my first good knife from the four hundred year old knifemaker Aritsugu in Tsukiji, Tokyo.  I've had it for more than twenty years, and it is still my favorite kitchen knife.   

One thing some Japanese will say about Nabe is why take a class? It is so easy, you can do it yourself.  It's yes and no. Japanese people can take Nabe for granted because it is the most popular winter dish we make in a single pot.  It appears like any other hearty soup but there are some important steps in nabe making that a cook should know. Nabe is meant to be cooked at the table, and not on the stove.  You can do it on the stove but then, you kind of missed the point - the social occasion for people to participate in building and seasoning the nabe. 

We made two nabes: Chanko nabe and Winter Nabe, and a rice porridge called Ojiya to finish the nabe.  You can go to the previous nabe workshops to access the recipes.

What I talk about first at the nabe workshop is the stock. Good stock leads to good nabe. The chicken stock for the Chanko nabe takes about four to six hours; the Dashi for the Winter nabe takes less than twenty minutes. The chicken stock needs to cook longer to extract the good collagen from the chicken. You can make either stock ahead of time, so there are ways to make life easier for the cook. 

As I walked Keith through all the ingredients and showed him how to prep them, he realized how nabe really differed from making a soup, and why I was being a little fussy about how the uncooked foods should be cut and arranged on the platter. For nabe, you want to start with the freshest seasonal ingredients possible. They should be cut in even pieces to make them cook uniformly. You also want to arrange them on the platter in an appealing way because it is the platter that people see first. If you can win over your eaters before the food is even cooked, you have already accomplished half the task as a nabe maker. 

Since it was only the two of us when we started cooking the nabe ingredients, we used half of the ingredients on the platter. You don't want leftovers in the pot.  Nabe is slow food. Take your time and stretch the evening for good conversation. Replenish the pot with more food and stock when the pot looks low. Between the two of us, we ate most of the Winter Nabe. The cod added a really nice flavor to the Saikyo miso based stock.  Later in the afternoon, we had more people join us, as we were making the Chanko nabe. My artist friends Bob and Kathy, and Sakai came for tastings. We opened a bottle of chilled Onigarashi - a smooth dry sake. It paired nicely with Chanko nabe.  Keith cleared the pot and made a fresh batch of nabe. By the second nabe, he was in control and built the nabe on his own.  The initial one-on-one session turned into a little gathering of friends but that's what happens when you set the hot pot on the table top. It creates a convivial atmostphere. Nabe is a living pot.

Miyagi's famous quote in The Karate Kid:

First learn stand...then learn fly...nature's rule..

  November 14 Workshop

Naoko and Jason Moore

TALKING ABOUT NABE

MAKING SOBA BY HAND IS ABSOLUTE COOKING.

Akila Inouye

I am posting the handmade soba noodle recipe from Akila Inouye's Soba

Workshop. The Soba dipping sauce recipe is also available (here is the link). 

Please also check out the Los Angeles Times Food Section's feature stories on Soba making, which includes step by step photosgraphs, recipes for making Soba, walnut and regular dipping sauces, and Soba side dishes. (Here is the link)

HOW TO MAKE SOBA NOODLES BY HAND (using a plastic bag)

2 servings

The basic measurement for the flour was provided in grams.

If you plan to use more or less flour, remember to keep the 8:2 ratio of

buckwheat flour to all purpose flour, and the

water at 40% of the total weight of the two flours. 

5.5 oz stone milled buckwheat flour (160 grams) (Cold Mountain brand or Japanese soba flour)

1.3 oz all purpose flour (40 grams)

2.8 oz (or 40% of clear cold water to total weight of buckwheat flour and all purpose flour (80 grams)

Uchiko flour for dusting (if you can't find Uchiko,use Cornstarch)

1 plastic bag (small trash bag)

Weigh the buckwheat flour and all purpose flour. Set aside 1 % of water (about 1/2 tsp of water) for kneading. Put the two flours and rest of the water in the plastic bag.  Using both hands, lump together the flour mixture through the plastic bag.

Now take the dough out of the plastic bag, and put it on a cutting board or kneading sheet.  

Shape the dough into a disc.  Make holes on top of the dough with your thumbs.  Pour the reserved water (1/2 teaspoon)  into the holes, and knead the dough untl the water is incorporated completely.  Apply pressure to the dough with your palm, and shape the dough into a ball.

Sprinkle uchiko on the kneading sheet/board. Place the ball on the sheet/board, and sprinkle uchiko on top.  Using your palm, flatten the ball into a disc, about 15mm or 1/2 inches thick.

With a rolling pin, continue flattening the dough in diagonal directions until the disc is 8mm or 1/18 inch thick, and rectangle in shape.  Use Uchiko sparingly while flattening the dough.

Fold the dough in four layers. Use "generous" amounts of uchiko in between the layers. Slice the dough into noodles, about 1.3mm wide.

HOW TO COOK FRESH SOBA NOODLES:

In a large pot, boil about 2 gallons or more water over high heat.

Gently drop the soba noodles into the boiling water. The water should be boiling vigorously to prevent the soba noodles from sticking to each other.  Try not to use chopsticks or tools to separate the noodles while cooking. 

Cover the pot and bring the water to a full, rolling boil again. The noodles will

take about 90 seconds to cook. If the soba noodles are thinner or thicker,

you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Scoop out the noodles with a colander or strainer, and immediately soak the noodles in a large bowl of cold water.  

Prepare another bowl of ice water with ice cubes.  Transfer the noodles into the ice cold water for a second to give the noodles a final shock treatment.  Drain the noodles.

Serve the noodles on a dish ( zaru - Japanese style bamboo colnader or seiro -Japanese steaming mat), with the dipping sauce and Yakumi flavors - sliced negi (Tokyo style green onions),  grated daikon, and shichimi pepper.

Note: Reserve some of the cooking liquid that is left in the pot. You can use it for cooking more noodles, and as "sobayu" - dipping sauce thinner.

Akila Inouye and his son Yusuke left for Tokyo this morning.  We were up packing and celebrating the completion of our four workshops till 2am last night. Thanks to everyone who participated in the workshop.  I am planning to do another workshop in April with Akila, so please mark your calendars.  I will keep you all posted. Here is the link to Akila Inouye's Tsukiji Soba Academy. If you are planning a trip to Tokyo, do visit the Academy.  

On a personal note, this was the first soba workshop I produced out of my house. I learned a lot about what it takes to organize one; it's a little bit like producing films, only you get covered in buckwheat flour. What am I getting myself into...? was the question that kept popping up in my head, as the workshop grew from one to two, two to three, and three to four.  I wasn't even sure we could even fill up one workshop.  But we managed to pull them all off.  We sold out all four!  Thank you!

Thanks to my friends Keiko and Taku Shinomoto of Tortoise for all their support. Keiko took most of these photos. 

Many people say that soba is a hard craft to learn but Akila made it so accessible

and fun for all of us. I enjoyed making soba by hand, ate lots of it, and still want more. That's the beauty of soba. One nevers seems to tire of it. The best part of doing the workshop at home was making new friends, and hanging out with my dear old ones in my kitchen.  

Oh, and I must not forget to thank Yusuke, Akila's son. This was his first visit to the U.S. but instead of sightseeing, he spent most of his time grating daikon radish in my kitchen, and doing the dishes. Next time he comes to LA, I will take him to Amoeba and some other cool places.

`

For those of you that ordered Uchiko, the cost is $4 for 200grams.  This is the amount you will need for 1000 grams of buckwheat / wheat flour.  I will follow up with you by e mail.

I have extra Uchiko flour, premium stone milled fresh buckwheat flour from Japan and Canada so if you would like to buy some, please give me a call.

Please go tot he photo gallery to view more pictures from the workshop. Please feel free to post your photos.  In the meantime, here is the recipe for the Dipping Broth. Please call me or e mail me if you have any questions. The recipe for the Hongaeshi (dipping sauce base) serves sixty but this keeps for a month in a cool place and can be adjusted to suit your needs. Same with the Morizuyu (dipping sauce).

During this soba tour, Akila did a soba demonstration and interview for the Los Angeles Times Food Section.  I also contributed a soba story on soba side dishes. These stories and recipes are scheduled to appear in the Times in December.

Finally, please posts comments and suggestions about the workshop.

Arigato!  

Sonoko

Please also check out the Los Angeles Times feature story on Akila Inouye, Making soba at home, with step by step photographs, recipes for dipping sauces and side dishes. (Here is the link) 

How to make Morizuyu (Dipping sauce for cold soba noodles)

[Summary] by Akila Inouye

To make morizuyu, prepare the Hongaeshi (dipping sauce base) first.

Add the hongaeshi to dashi stock to finalize it.

Hongaeshi will keep for a month in a cool and dry place, or in the fridge.

The dashi should be prepared each time.

[How to prepare Hon-gaeshi  (Dipping sauce base)

60 servings

1.0L Soy sauce (Koikuchi/regular type)

200ml Hon Mirin (Must use a real thing made from rice, rice sprit and rice malt)

133g Sugar (Reccommend Japanese white coarse sugar but generic sugar

in US should be okay)

Put the sugar and mirin into a pot.

Dissolve the sugar completely with medium heat.

Add the soy sauce and heat until the temperature reaches 70 degrees (centigrade).

Cover the pot with a clean cloth or other material instead of hard lid.

Set aside the pot until it is no longer steaming

and the liquid cools to room temperature. 

Store the liquid in a cool and dry place, or refrigerate.

You can keep the base for a couple of months.

[How to finish Morizuyu]

17 servings

1.2 L Clear water (soft type should be great)

70 g Sliced bonito

350 ml Hongaeshi

Dash of Mirin (Optional)

Dash of Sake (Optional)

Boil the water for making the dashi.

Put dried bonito flakes into the boiling hot water.

Lower heat and continue cooking for a minute.

Strain the dashi liquid with kitchen paper.

(The dashi liquid's amount comes to about 1,000 ml because  

10 percent of the water will evaporate during the cooking, and the dried bonito will

absorb another 10 percent).

Add the hongaeshi to the dashi and then heat it to 70 degrees (centigrade).

Add dash of Mirin and Sake, but this is optional.

Cool down the pot with a plenty of ice.

Serve 80 ml for each serving.

The Morizuyu will keep in a refrdgerator for 3 days.

How to make Morizuyu (Dipping sauce for cold soba noodles)

[Summary] by Akila Inouye

To make morizuyu, prepare the Hongaeshi (dipping sauce base) first.

Add the hongaeshi to dashi stock to finalize it.

Hongaeshi will keep for a month in a cool and dry place

but dashi should be prepared each time.

[How to prepare Hon-gaeshi  (Dipping sauce base)

60 servings

1.0L Soy sauce (Koikuchi/regular type)

200ml Hon Mirin (Must use a real thing made from rice, rice sprit and rice malt)

133g Sugar (Reccommend Japanese white coarse sugar but generic granulated sugar

in US should be okay)

Put the sugar and mirin in a pot.

Dissolve the sugar completely with medium heat.

Add the soy sauce and heat until 70 degrees (centigrade).

Cover the pot with a clean cloth or other material instead of using the hard lid.

Set aside the pot until the viporated steam will completely escaped

and the liquid cools to room temperature.

Store the liquid in a cool and dry place.

You can keep it for a month.

[How to finish Morizuyu]

17 servings

1200 ml Clear water (soft type should be great)

70 g Dried Bonito flakes (Katsuobushi)

350 ml Hongaeshi

Dash of Mirin (Optional)

Dash of Sake (Optional)

Boil the water for making dashi.

Put bonito flakes into the boiling hot water.

Lower heat to a simmer and cook the dashi liquid for a minute.

Strain the dashi liquid with kitchen paper into another pot.

(The dashi liquid comes to about 1,000 ml;

10 percent of the water is evaporated during cooking, and the dried bonito will

absorb another 10 percent).

Add the Hongaeshi to the dashi.  Heat the liquid to 70 degrees (centigrade).

Add a dash of Mirin and Sake ( optional).

Cool down the pot with plenty of ice. To do this, have a big bowl of ice water with ice.

Rest the pot containing the dipping sauce on top to cool down.

Serve 80 ml for each serving.

This Morizuyu will keep in the refrdgerator for 3 days.