Changing Seasons
30 September 2008
Lately I woke up one morning and felt that something was different. Yes – I had actually slept through the night, without being woken up by the cicadas, which usually start their rattling noise at dawn, i.e. 4:30 am. All of a sudden they were all gone. I felt sooo well-rested! When I later stepped outside, I was greeted by a refreshing breeze, the air still summerly warm, but the suffocating humidity had disappeared.
This blissful day was followed by some fairly hot ones again, but still it had been a nice precursor of autumn, reminding me that the change of seasons could not be far away. And so it was. Last weekend the temperature suddenly dropped, and I actually had to use a light jacket to go outside (Simon, of course, went just in his T-shirt – being more the cool-weather-type, he was fed up with summer in Tokyo even more than I was).
Right now it is raining, but I don’t mind at all. I am just enjoying the pleasant temperatures, and looking forward to all the beautiful autumn days ahead. And it is just such a boon to leave the aircon off at night (although I don’t like this at all, it was impossible to sleep without during summer). And did I mention I am really happy that the ugly, nasty, mean cicadas are gone?
Anyways, I had actually planned to make a cold udon noodle salad for Sunday evening dinner, but given the change in weather I felt more like eating something hot. So I changed plans and made a creamy stew of all the vegetables I had in the fridge, which I then mixed with hot udon noodles and some seared prawns. My first autumn dish this season!
Udon Noodle Pot with Stewed Veggies and Prawns
| serves 4 |
| 600g udon noodles |
for the prawns |
| 400g prawns, peeled and cleaned |
| a pinch of shichimi |
| some garlic powder |
for the vegetables |
| 200g renkon (lotus root) – or other root vegetable |
| 200g shiitake mushrooms |
| 2 Japanese aubergines (200g) |
| 1 teaspoon of fine white sugar |
| 250ml cooking sake |
| approx. 50ml soy sauce (to taste) |
| 1-2 teaspoons dried, grated orange peel |
| 3 teaspoons of white sesame seeds |
| 2 teaspoon of coarse mustard |
| 1-2 tablespoons of crème fraîche |
| some fresh dill |
Peel the lotus root (or other root vegetable, if you cannot get hold of it) and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wash the shiitake mushrooms as well as the aubergines and slice them into similarly-sized bits. Heat some olive oil in a pan and briefly sear the vegetables while moving them constantly, so they get nicely roasted outside but do not burn.
After 2 minutes or so, pour over the sake and the soy sauce, and add a teaspoon of fine white sugar. Cover with a lid and stew the vegetables at moderate heat for about 30 minutes. Check from time to time to make sure there is enough liquid left so the vegetables don’t burn.
Meanwhile cook the udon noodles according to the instructions on the package. Season the prawns with some shichimi and garlic powder and sear them for a few minutes in a hot frying pan, using a little bit of olive oil. Set aside when done to make sure they don’t get overcooked.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the dried and grated orange peel as well as the sesame seeds and stir in the mustard and the crème fraîche. Finish with some finely chopped fresh dill.
Finally mix all components together to a creamy noodle pot and serve hot.