Sanuki Sea Stock Recipes

Steps:

• Place the dried sardines, kelp, and dried mushrooms in a deep pot and cover with the cold water. Place the pot over medium-high heat and wait until small bubbles appear around the rim before adjusting the heat to maintain a steady but not very vigorous simmer. Cook the stock for about 10 minutes, or until the broth becomes a pale gold. If large clouds of froth appear, skim them away. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the contents to sink to the bottom naturally, about 2 minutes.
• If you want a smoky flavor, add the bonito flakes (the more flakes you use, the smokier the flavor). Wait 2 or 3 minutes for the flakes to sink, and then strain the broth through a fine-woven muslin cloth, or a coffee-filter-lined colander.

Steps:

• In a medium stockpot, combine the stock, soy sauce, and rice wine and heat to the point where small bubbles appear at the rim of the saucepan. Taste and adjust with a pinch of salt, if necessary.
• As you heat the soup, warm the bowls in which you will serve the noodles. Use a ladle to carefully scoop out boiling hot water from the pot in which the noodles were cooked and fill each serving bowl half way. Place a flat plate over the top of each bowl until ready to fill with noodles; this "lid" helps retain heat.
• Re-heat previously cooked, rinsed noodles: Place them in a deep, conical-shaped strainer (an Asian-style men koshi or a European-style chinois) and briefly dip them back in the boiling water two or three times. Jiggle and swish as you submerge them to separate any clusters. Lift the strainer out of the boiling water and shake and tap to remove excess water. (Or, place the noodles directly in the pot of boiling water, swish and stir, then strain them out into an ordinary colander.)
• Place the warmed noodles in the warmed bowls.
• Re-heat the seasoned soup stock until piping hot, then stir vigorously in a clockwise direction. Pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream. Stir once in a counter-clockwise direction, then remove the pot from the stove.
• Top each portion of noodles with egg drop soup and some chopped scallions. Serve immediately with the grated ginger on the side.

Steps:

• Make the ponzu sauce:
• Place the stock, soy sauce, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat slowly until small bubbles appear around the rim. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the bonito flakes. Wait 2 minutes, then add the lemon and/or lime juice. Strain the mixture through a fine-woven muslin cloth- or coffee filter-lined colander. Chill the sauce for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate up to several days.
• Assemble the salad:
• If the cooked noodles seem sticky or pasty, quickly rinse in cold water and drain well. Divide them among 4 shallow serving bowls. Garnish the noodles with sesame seeds and chives or scallions. Serve the chilled ponzu sauce on the side to drizzle on and toss in just before eating.