Nothing like a beefy hot bowl of noodles on Christmas Eve! I was able to make this with odds and ends I had on hand. You can top it with whatever vegetables and things you have. I had only a small piece of lean beef, but if you have something with more bones and cartilage you’ll get more flavor. You could also use pork or chicken.
6-8 oz beef
1/2 yellow onion, with skin
1″ knob of ginger
2 garlic cloves
8 black peppercorns
2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms
2″ piece of kombu (optional)
6 c. water
2 Tbsp. oil
1-2 tsp. dashi granules
2 Tbsp. rice wine or sherry
3-4 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
salt and sugar to taste
2 bundles dried udon noodles
3 green onions, sliced thinly
Garnish ideas:
1 carrot, julienned
2 leaves Chinese cabbage
poached eggs
1/4 c. soft tofu, in cubes
Pickled daikon (takuan)
7-spice powder (shichimi togarashi)
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in the base of your pressure cooker, and sear the outside of the beef. Add the yellow onion, ginger, peppercorns, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, kombu, and water. Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
Release the pressure and strain out the ingredients, saving the beef. Slice the beef for later use. Season the broth with the dashi, soy sauce, etc…
Meanwhile, cook the udon noodles according to directions. At its simplest, serve the noodles, sliced beef, broth, and green onions with a drizzle of sesame oil.
To fancy it up, prepare the garnish. I recommend briefly sauteeing the carrots and cabbage in some oil, sesame oil, and a dash of soy sauce. Feel free to get creative with what you put on top!