Handmade Udon Noodles with Miso Cheese
Mac & cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods in the whole world. Mounds of carby noodles with the perfect mixture of cheeses always pleases. In my quest to bring the flavors of Japanese and American Southern cuisine together, I happened upon an interesting idea. Why not create a cheese sauce that uses dashi as the starting block? And not just normal dashi, but perhaps a milk dashi with miso? And why not make handmade noodles to dip in said cheese sauce a la tsukemen style dipping noodles?
The following dish is the answer to all of these questions, my friend! Here's an my updated take on mac & cheese 🍜🧀
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE UDON
1 ½ cups water
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp kosher salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE MISO CHEESE
4 cups whole milk
3"x4" rectangle kombu
2 cups bonito flake
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP all purpose white flour
Small pinch ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 tsp red or yellow miso paste
8 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese
In a small mixing bowl, combine the water and kosher salt. Mix to dissolve.
Sift the all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl. Flatten the flour to an even layer and gradually pour in the salt water mixture using your fingers to evenly mix and combine. Continue to pour in the water leaving about 2 TBSP left in case you need to adjust the consistency. Continue to mix the flour until it becomes homogenous and crumbly. Press and work the mixture until it comes together. If the mixture is too dry and there is still loose flour remaining, simply add in the remaining water a TBSP at a time to incorporate everything.
Dust a table surface with flour and knead the dough until smooth and slightly springy. Form the dough into a ball curling the dough down and into itself. Bring the lips into the center ensuring that you remove any air throughout the process. Place the ball smooth side up in a plastic bag for 3 hours to let the dough ferment.
After 3 hours, place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Knead it for another 2-3 minutes and then cut the ball into 2 equal halves. Knead each half into a ball. Press down in the middle of the ball with a rolling pin and roll away from you. Continue to roll out the dough towards you from the middle. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and continue this process. Continue to roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about an ⅛ inch thickness dusting with flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Occasionally turn the dough in order to maintain a square shape.
Dust the surface of the dough with flour. Bring the dough over the top of the rolling pin and roll it around. Dust the cutting board surface, and unroll the dough on the surface. Dust the dough with more flour and fold the dough back over itself. Apply more flour to the surface and continue to unroll in the opposite direction ensuring that you do not overlap the edges. Dust the top of the folded dough and cut the dough into noodles about an ⅛ inch thick. If the noodles stick together, lightly tear them apart with your hand and dust with flour. Place handfuls of noodles into groups on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Pour the whole milk into a medium saucepan and add in a the kombu. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place the pan on a stove over medium heat and bring to the simmer. Once to the simmer, remove the kombu.
Add in the bonito flakes. Bring back to the simmer, skimming the surface of any foam. Once to the simmer, turn off the burner, and let the bonito steep for 7 minutes. Pass the milk dashi through a fine mesh strainer. Don't press out excess liquid from the flakes as you’ll end up with slightly bitter off flavors.
Melt the butter in a clean, dry medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the all purpose flour and whisk to combine. Cook the flour for 1 to 2 minutes stirring often to make a roux. When the roux smells of cooked pie dough, slowly pour in the milk dashi whisking the mixture until fully incorporated. Add in the ground nutmeg, white pepper and miso paste. Bring to the boil. Once to the boil, reduce the heat to low simmer for 2-3 minute stirring often. Turn off the heat and let stand for 3 minutes to cool down. Mix in the Monterey Jack cheese stirring until fully melted.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Place the noodles in the water and stir to ensure the noodles do not stick. When the water returns to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12 - 15 minutes until the noodles reach a chewy texture. Drain the noodles and rinse them thoroughly with cold water.
