In This Installment:
Red Yuzu Kosho from Japan
First off, that image was the closest I could find in our archives. It sort of has some of the ingredients you’ll find in Red Yuzu Kosho—at least it evokes an exotic imagery that I think fits with this condiment/secret ingredient that I’m guessing isn’t a part of your normal rotation. But in truth there’s no cocount or tomatores or nuts in this kosho…just chiles, yuzu peel, seaweed, and salt.
As legend has it: mountain hermits living around Mount Hiko were the first to make this citrusy, salty condiment by combining the fragrant perfumy peel of the yuzu with green chiles and salt and letting it all ferment. The technique was passed down through generations, changing very little as it moved through the years. This particular version comes from the Yakima Orchards and is made with red chiles (not green) and a little bit of seaweed to give it a bright umami burst and break through the salty nature of the condiment. The red chile version is a little less spicy than the green chile version, so that’s why I selected this one.
Take a little nip from the jar to see what we’re working with: it will start out citrusy then give way to a spicy experience and finally that sort of savory/sweet umami flavor in the finish. It’s spicy, yes, but in a way that accents the other flavors you’re including around it.
So what’s the best way to use this condiment? Well, it’s not ketchup, that’s for sure. Traditionally, it’s a simple and flavorful way to dress up baked fish or grilled chicken. The salty/citrusy/umami/spiciness goes really well with fish, I think, served simply over a bed of rice.
It can really zest up a marinade for meats. You can add red yuzu kosho to a plain tomato sauce, even, and spice up normal pasta night. I think that’s what hooked me on this stuff. I don’t cook or prepare a lot of Japanese cuisine at home, but I found myself using kosho with the dishes I usually make (and could use a little zushing). I’ll admit it’s a little “weird” for the kids, but they’re not very adventurous at this stage.
When you start to experiment with the kosho, though, start small and slow. There’s lot of flavor packed into each dollop so use wisely!
Cha (Green Tea) Soba Noodles from Japan
Is there anything more satisfyingly simple and delicious than noodles in a warm broth? Well, depending on the weather, cold noodles are very pleasing on a hot day, too. The point is we all love noodles of all ilks and varieties and in Japan soba noodles are at the top of the popularity charts. Udon is cool, too, I guess, but soba: that’s where the action’s at.
Making noodles traces back to an ancient monk who traveled to China—learned about making noodles there and then brought the technique back to Japan sometime in the 12th century. Traditionally, soba noodles were made from buckwheat flour which folks had been cultivating for centuries and using to make porridge. Buckwheat is a hearty plant that grows more like a bush than grasses or grains. So it’s not like wheat at all, except for the fact that you can mill it into a flour like you do with wheat berries. And just to get slightly nerdy, buckwheat was important to the Japanese diet because it had nutrients (thiamine, in particular) they couldn’t get from other staples of their diet like white rice.
Today, they blend buckwheat and wheat flours together to make the dough—and for these Cha Soba Noodles, they’ve added green tea powder (matcha) to the mix. Without the wheat in there, the noodles can be brittle and hard to cook without breaking. The addition of wheat flour adds just enough gluten to hold the noodle together and give it a toothsome, pleasantly chewy mouthfeel.
The green tea powder adds an earthy, grassy character to the noodles that I find really comes out when you serve the noodles cold. That’s an important thing to note about soba noodles: they might be better served cold. They’re great in hot broths, too, and that’s a very traditional way to enjoy them…but if you want to capture the true texture and flavor of the noodles, it’s best to serve them chilled. Here’s a simple, traditional, straight-forward, delicious recipe to enjoy soba!
Cold Soba Noodles with Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
- Salt
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 250 g (8 ounces) soba noodles
- Finely grated or minced ginger
- Minced scallions or toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Cook noodles until tender (3-7 minutes) but not mushy. Drain, and quickly rinse under cold running water until cold. Drain well.
- Combine stock, soy sauce and honey mixture. Taste, and add a little more soy if the flavor is not strong enough. Serve noodles with garnishes, with sauce on side for dipping (or spooning over).
It’s a very simple recipe and easy to prepare so you can serve with baked fish or grilled vegetables or chicken or any protein that makes sense to you. Great as a simple, quick meal anytime of day or season.