# Noshikomi Udon ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Noshikomi Udon

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Okutama Area and wider Area

## Main Ingredients Used
Wheat flour, dried sardines, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, carrots, fried thin tofu, chikuwa(=fish cake), soy sauce, sake, salt

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Noshikomi udon is a noodle dish made by simmering udon noodles in a broth made from dried sardines and shiitake mushrooms, seasoned with sake, salt, and soy sauce, and adding firm udon noodles and other ingredients such as green onions and deep-fried tofu.During the Edo period, the entire town of Okutama was under the direct control of the shogunate and was located in the mountains, the steepest mountains in Tokyo, and most of the town was covered with forests. Since the land was unsuitable for rice paddies, wheat and buckwheat were the main crops grown in Okutama, and a culture of eating udon and buckwheat flour had taken root in Okutama. In addition, the mountains were cold from late fall through winter. When the men came home hungry after a day's work in the mountains, they would make a quick and warm dish, and so noshikomi udon was prepared and eaten in every household.The word "noshikomi" comes from "stretch" = "stretch and spread" after the udon has been pounded, but in some areas it is called "zuridashi udon" because it is eaten by slipping it out of the pot. The noodles are characterized by their wide width, similar to Hoto in Yamanashi, and are served hot after being simmered in a pot with soup stock (niboshi), shiitake mushrooms, freshly pounded udon noodles, and seasonal vegetables, in the Okutama style. The sweetness of the vegetables soaks into the udon, warming the body and soul. Until around 1975 in the Showa era, wild boars and deer caught by hunting, and chickens that were cut up at home were sometimes added to the soup.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Frequently eaten on cold autumn and winter days.

## How to Eat
Cut the udon noodles into wide strips, fill a pot with water, make Dashi(Japanese soup stock) from dried sardines and shiitake mushrooms, season with seasonings, add udon noodles and seasonal vegetables, and simmer. Serve hot.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)Even today, it is still made and eaten mainly in households with elderly people. Although it is not served at restaurants, it is a familiar home-style dish in Okutama, and a staple of the local diet.

## Ingredients
- [Udon] All-purpose flour: 500g
- [Udon] Salt: 15g
- [Udon] Water: 250cc
- Green onions: 50g
- Carrots: 50g
- Chikuwa(=fish cake): 2
- Dried sardine: 10
- Shiitake mushrooms: 20g
- Soy sauce: 2 tbsp.
- Sake: As needed
- Salt: As needed

## Recipe
1. 1. Make udon noodles.Combine All-purpose flour and salt in a kneading bowl, and knead well while adding more or less water.
2. 2. When the dough comes together, put it in a plastic bag and tread on it well.
3. 3. Sprinkle the flour on a cooking table and roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
4. 4. Fold the dough in half and cut.
5. 5. Put water in a pan and make soup stock with niboshi (dried sardines) and shiitake mushrooms.
6. 6. Put 5 over heat, season with sake and salt, and add the udon noodles from 4.
7. 7. Add leeks, carrots, and chikuwa, season with soy sauce, and bring to a boil.

## Provider Information
provider : Okutama Unazawa Fureai Farm

![Image](Not found)