Su means “plain” in Japanese, which is how this dish got its name. But plain doesn’t mean boring—this is a simple and light dish that I love when I want to enjoy the chewy texture of udon noodles without eating anything too heavy. Wakame is a nutritious seaweed that’s found in many Japanese dishes. You can include spinach in this recipe, too, if you’d like. Just quickly blanch the spinach in boiling water, cool in an ice bath, and drain before adding to the individual bowls.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　6 cups Udon Broth (page 66)

　　4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and halved

　　2 tablespoons dried wakame

　　1 cup hot water

　　1 pound dried udon noodles

　　1/4 cup mitsuba, cut into 1-inch-long pieces, including stems

　　2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on an angle

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

　　

Step 2

Place the broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 1 minute, then decrease the heat to low and cover to keep warm.

　　

Step 3

In a bowl, cover the wakame with the hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

　　

Step 4

Cook the udon noodles in the boiling water until al dente, following the package instructions. Drain well. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls and pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth over each. Garnish the bowls with one-quarter of the mushrooms, wakame, mitsuba, and scallions.

　　Takashi's Noodles