# Nigomi Udon ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Nigomi Udon

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
The Tsukui area of Sagamihara City

## Main Ingredients Used
Fresh udon, dried noodles, radish, carrot, komatsuna, shimeji mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, fried tofu, and green onion

## History, Origin, and Related Events
A local dish from the Tsukui area of Sagamihara City in which udon noodles are simmered directly in a vegetable soup. Even within a region, there are distinctive flavors depending on the area, such as miso flavor, soy sauce flavor, or both. The origin of the name “nigomi udon” is said to be because the soup becomes “cloudy (nigoru),” or it is said to be a corruption of “nikomi (stewed) udon.”Since the Tsukui region was unsuitable for rice cultivation, the cultivation of wheat and barley has been popular since ancient times, and udon noodles made from wheat flour have been eaten almost every day. Noodles were handmade in each household, and in the 1940s, when noodle machines were introduced, it is said that people would sometimes bring flour to local noodle factories to have the noodles made for them. Until around 1965, nigomi udon was frequently served as a regular home-cooked meal. However, in recent years, due to changes in eating habits, opportunities to eat it at home have decreased significantly. As a result of the efforts of the local Chamber of Commerce to preserve the traditional taste, it is now served at restaurants in the area.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
It is often eaten in winter. In other seasons as well, it is made using vegetables harvested at that time.

## How to Eat
Make fresh udon noodles and cut the vegetables and other ingredients. Add the chopped vegetables to the dashi stock and simmer until soft. Add the fresh udon and dried noodles to it while loosening them. Once the udon noodles are cooked, season with your favorite miso, soy sauce, and salt. Add finely chopped green onions and bring to a boil, then serve in a bowl.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
In order to revive the taste of nigomi udon, the local Chamber of Commerce and Tokyo Kasei Gakuin University have been working together since around 2010 to conduct research, interviewing local elderly people, developing recipes to reproduce the dish, and holding cooking classes in neighboring regions. Currently, several restaurants around the Tsukui area serve nigomi udon with their own original seasonings.

## Ingredients
- [Fresh udon] All-purpose flour: 300g
- [Fresh udon] Water: 120-140ml
- [Fresh udon] Salt: 2-2.5g (less than 1／2 tsp.)
- Dry noodles (Tsukui noodles): Approx. 250g
- Dashi stock (bonito flakes, dried sardines, or kombu any kind of stock is acceptable): 1000-1200ml
- Radish: 100g
- Carrots: 50g
- Komatsuna: 1／3~1／2 bunch
- Shimeji mushrooms: 1／2 to 2 packs
- Chinese cabbage: 200-300g
- Fried tofu: 1
- Green onion: 1／3 to 1／2
- Miso or soy sauce: 30-50g of miso or 30-40ml of soy sauce
- Salt: Appropriate amount
- Yuzu pepper: Appropriate amount
- Be careful when adding seasonings as there is salt in the dashi stock and udon noodles.: 

## Recipe
1. 1. Make fresh udon. Add salt water (120 ml of water + less than 1／2 tsp. of salt) little by little to 300g of all-purpose flour and mix while stirring. Gather the dough as if mixing the water into it. Once combined, knead well. Once the dough is uniform, place it in a plastic bag and step on it with your feet (about 5 to 10 minutes). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin while dusting it with flour, fold it, and cut it evenly into thin strips starting from the edge.
2. 2. Cut the vegetables. Cut the radish into quarter-rounds, the carrot into strips, and the Chinese cabbage into 1-1.5cm wide pieces at right angles to the fibers. Cut the komatsuna into 3cm pieces, and divide the shimeji mushrooms into florets. Drain the oil from the fried tofu and cut into strips. Slice the green onion into small pieces.
3. 3. Boil the radish, carrot, shimeji mushrooms, and fried tofu cut in 2 in dashi stock (1000-1200ml) until soft, then add the komatsuna and simmer further.
4. 4. Add the udon noodles to 3 and bring to a boil. Add both the fresh udon and dried noodles while loosening them up.
5. 5. Once the udon noodles are cooked, taste them and adjust the flavor with your preferred miso or soy sauce + salt. Finally, add a small amount of green onion, bring to a boil, transfer to a bowl, and serve with yuzu pepper to taste.

## Provider Information
provider : Tsukui Region Chamber of Commerce Liaison Council

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