Sunday, July 26, 2015

A Smoked Noodle Soup

I think a few people have experimented with a smoked noodle. Normally that means taking a pre-made cooked noodle and cold smoking it or using a smoke gun. I wanted the depth of flavor that comes from prolonged exposure to wood smoke. So these are fresh raw whole wheat grains smoked for a few hours over grape vine cuttings. I just used a standard red backyard smoker. I think the temperature got to about 200 degrees, not enough to burn them, though I was originally thinking of a farina di grano arso. This is just toasty and smokey. But not burnt.
 The flour is SO deeply malty and smokey, but nothing acrid or burned. I'm surprised actually. I used a spice grinder, since this is a small test batch. Enough for a single serving. Mixed in a malted milk shake, I would swear it was just that. With smoke.
 Easy to roll out and cut by hand. They behave like any whole wheat noodle. No egg, just water. Held together very nicely.
Finally some really smokey noodles. They were served cold like soba. With a soy and dashi stock mixture on the side for dipping. The umami is just intense.

If it weren't so hot out, I think a meat broth and some vegetables would round it out nicely. Maybe mushrooms too.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Tsuketsuyu

Tsuketsuyu - a cold dipping soup for summer. Made with dried shirataki noodles, smoked Scottish salmon and cooked broccoli rabe. Black sesame seeds too. All goes perfectly with the "soup" made of soy, sake, mirin and dashi stock.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Leek noodles turned out great

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