Kitsune Udon Soup

Kitsune udon is Japanese for "fox noodles". It's not made with real fox though. In Japan, kitsune (foxes) are mystical beings who can shapeshift into beautiful women.  Some stories portray foxes as tricksters or seductresses, leading lone travelers astray at night, or bringing gifts of treasure which turn out to be sticks, paper, and other garbage.  But in other tales foxes are loyal companions, and frequently good wives. Folktales about fox wives follow a similar pattern to Irish myths about selkies, or seal women; a young man marries a beautiful woman, but when her secret identity as a kitsune is discovered, she shapeshifts back into a fox and runs away. In one famous story, she returns to her husband nightly as a woman, and leaves in the morning as a fox.  Additionally, kitsune will sometimes adopt a human family, visiting their house and watching over them. Unfortunately, they frequently bring presents to their chosen family which they steal from neighboring houses, so people are suspicious of a house thought to harbor kitsune.  

Sometimes they're though to possess women instead of-or in addition to-shapeshifting into them, and as late as the 20th century there was a medical disorder specific to Japan in which sufferers became convinced they were possessed by kitsune. People with this disorder fell on the ground, yipped like foxes, and refused to eat anything but the kitsune's favorite foods: sweet adzuki beans and fried tofu, called aburaage.  

Therefore this soup, with its chewy fried tofu, lightly sweetened broth, and soft udon noodles, is truly fit for a kitsune's dinner. A sprinkling of finely minced scallions over the top lends a little brightness to the whole dish.

Although by no means essential, I also like to add a pinch of shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend consisting of red pepper, orange peel, sesame seed, seaweed, and ginger. The flavor of shichimi is difficult to describe. The best way I can is to say it's spicy in a warm way rather than a painful way. You can get it at an Asian foods market, or order it online. Or I suppose you could try to mix up your own, using the ingredients above! The kitsune udon has a delicate, easily overwhelmed flavor, so careful not to add too much shichimi!  

Traditional kitsune udon calls for homemade broth called ichiban dashi. But this is my own kitsune udon for busy people, so I simply use chicken broth. If you use vegetarian broth it will be vegan friendly!   

The first time I made this recipe I made sushi at the same time, thinking that the soup would not be very filling on its own, and that I would have ample time while it was cooking to make rolls. DO NOT DO THIS.  Although this recipe doesn't take too long, it's hands-on the whole time. If you try to make something complicated like sushi at the same time, you could potentially get really overwhelmed and start to cry, and then drop a huge handful of rice on the floor since your eyes were blurred by tears which caused you to trip over the cat who was begging for imitation crab at your feet, and now your floor is plastered with rice, and even your cat has rice on him, and the other cat has now run in and is eating rice off his brother and they are beginning to fight and spray rice all over and you are still crying at the futility of your attempt to make California rolls while your udon water boils over.

That might happen. 

Just take my advice. This soup is so filling and delicious it can absolutely be served as an entree, maybe with just a little white rice or salad on the side.

Kitsune udon has a complex flavor that's simultaneously exciting and comforting. The broth is savory and warm, with a slow burn that's slightly hot. Inside are fat, soft noodles, tangy scallions, and tofu that's spongy and slightly sweet.  It has serious wow factor, and it's absolutely terrific for somebody with the sniffles. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it twelve billion. Itadakimasu!
xoxoxoxoxo

A

Kitsune Udon

-6 oz extra firm tofu            -Vegetable oil

-14 oz udon noodles            -7 cups broth

-3 tbsp sugar                       -2 tbsp soy sauce

-2-3 scallions                                   

-OPTIONAL 1/8 tsp shichimi togarashi

-15 MINUTES BEFOREHAND, wrap tofu in paper towels and press excess water out by putting something heavy on top of it. I routinely use a wooden cutting board, a casserole dish, or a large book protected by plastic wrap. You can also buy a tofu press, but why bother if you've got a dictionary or a world history book lying around? You can leave it like this for several hours in the fridge, but at least 15 minutes will make it much firmer.  

-Pour about 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil into a skillet. Heat over high heat until the oil shimmers. Slice your tofu into bite sized pieces, and fry them in the oil for 12-15 minutes.

-While frying, bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the udon noodles, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes until very soft. After 20 minutes, remove from heat, cover, and let the noodles rest in the pot for 5 minutes.  

-Drain the fried tofu on paper towels, then put them in a bowl of hot water to get rid of excess oil. Strain the water out and set the tofu aside in the bowl (or strainer if you have two).

- Strain the udon noodles and run cold water over them until they stop steaming. Set aside in strainer.

-In the same pot you cooked the noodles in, combine 1 cup of broth with 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Bring to a boil, drop in the tofu and boil for 5-8 minutes. Set the tofu and liquid aside in the pot.

-In a second pot, combine 6 cups of broth with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Bring to a boil, add udon noodles, tofu, and shichimi togarashi.  

-Garnish with chopped scallions and serve immediately.