From Milk Street Tuesday Nights
- 12 oz dried udon
- 2 T plus 2 tsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 2 T mirin
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 3 small dride shiitake, broken in half
- 8 oz fresh shiitake, stemmed, halved, thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 12 oz baby bok choy or napa cabbage, sliced crosswise 1/2 in thick
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 T sesame seeds, toasted
- pickled ginger to serve
Boil water for the udon. Add udon, stir well, and cook until al dente, but no farther. Drain, then add 2 c of ice to the noodles. Run under cold water until thoroughly chilled, then transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 2 tsp of oil, and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine soy sauce, 1/4 c water, mirin, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring, then add dried mushrooms, pushing them into the liquid. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside until cooled, about 25 mins.
Remove the mushrooms from the soy sauce mixture, squeezing any sauce from them back into the pot. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the caps. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat 1 T oil until nearly smoking. Add fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned and slightly shrunken, about 3 minutes. Add onion, drizzle with remaining 1 T oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 s. Add bok choy or cabbage and cook, stirring, until leaves wilt and stalks are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
Return noodles to the pan, add the soy sauce mixture and mushrooms, and toss well to coat, about 2 minutes. Serve, topped with scallions and sesame seeds, and with pickled ginger alongside.