Sanuki Udon

Sanuki Udon is Shikoku's special brand of thick wheat noodles that had long been revered by udon connoisseurs in western Japan. However, the release of "Osorubeki Sanuki Udon" (The Astounding Sanuki Udon) sparked a craze that spread like wildfire across the country.

What makes Sanuki Udon special is their chewy and silky texture. Slick, slurpable, and immensely satisfying, sanuki udon noodles offer both the firm bite of al dente pasta and the pliant density of mochi rice cakes.

It is usually served as noodle soup, and was originally popularized in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan. The broth is made from a type of dashi which varies in strength and flavor across Japan.

How to Make Sanuki Udon

Ingredients:
For Udon Dough
500 grams of bread flour
15 grams of coarse salt
240 cc of room temperature water (about 1 cup)
A handful of potato starch or corn starch (to dust the your work surface)

For Dashi Soup Base
800 cc water
2 pieces of dried kelp
20 grams of dried bonito fish flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)

1 tablespoon of mirin (or more, to taste)

Instructions:
Prepare the Udon Dough

1. Combine the salt and the water, making sure that all the granules have dissolved. Sift the flour.
2. Add the salt-water solution into the flour slowly, mixing with your hands to make sure the moisture is getting distributed evenly. Once you've added all the water, don't worry if it feels a little hard or dry, as long as it holds together as one piece. Trust your dough!
3. Put the dough into a sealable plastic bag.
4. Place the bag on the ground and gently stomp around on the dough, spreading and thinning it out as much as you can. 
5. Once your dough is all flattened out, take it out of the plastic bag, set it out on your workspace and roll it up.
6. Turn it 90 degrees and insert it back into the plastic bag. You're going to repeat the stomping process for about 5 or 6 times, or until the dough is really smooth and almost a bit rubbery.
7. After 5 or 6 times of rolling, flattening, and re-rolling you should have brought the dough to a smooth, rubbery state. Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes before our next step (the dough's probably feeling really springy and resistant, so we have to let it sit).
8. After letting the dough sit for a little bit, it's time to form a ball with it. 
9. Fold the ends of the dough, pulling them inward. Pinch the ends of the dough together and flip the dough over. Work the dough with two hands to form a ball-like shape.  Doesn't have to be perfect.
10. Put the ball of dough back into the plastic bag, making sure to seal it tightly. Now it's time to wait.

Prepare the Stock

1. While your dough is resting, you can prepare your soup stock. 
2. Put the water in a large pot. Take out two pieces of dried konbu kelp. Take a paper towel or cloth to wipe some of the excess residue on the konbu. Drop it into the pot. Turn the flame to low heat and let the konbu sit in the water for 10-15 minutes. You don't want to bring the water to a boil because the konbu kelp will begin to get slimy. 
3. Remove the konbu kelp. Add the bonito flakes and turn the heat up to high. Let it boil for 5-6 minutes. Strain the bonito flakes. 
4. Add the soy sauce and mirin, and then perhaps adding more of either to suit your taste (soy sauce controls saltiness, mirin controls sweetness). Set aside for later. 

Making the Udon

1. After letting the dough rest for the appropriate amount of time, give your dough a little poke. If it retains the indent, you're good to go. If it springs back to it's original shape, you should let it sit for a bit longer. 
2. Time to roll out the dough. Dust your work surface with potato (or corn) starch. Dust the rolling pin and the surface of the dough as well.  Roll your dough out down to about 3 mm in thickness.
3. Brush the surface of the flattened dough with some more potato starch. Now fold the dough over a couple of time to create a narrow, multi-layered strip of udon dough goodness.
4. Grab a knife and start slicing away. Cut to about 5 mm in width.

Cooking and Serving the Udon

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and drop in your fresh noodles, letting them boil for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness. 
2. Make sure you gently spread the noodles evenly in the water and watch for noodles that try to stick to the bottom.
3. When you pull the noodles out of the water, they should hang limp. You'll know that you haven't boiled them enough if they are stiff. You'll also notice that these noodles will really plump up. 
4. Strain the noodles. 
5. Combine with your delicious dashi soup and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!