Filled with starchy vegetables, meat, and flat noodles in miso-based dashi broth, this hearty noodle soup called Hoto is a popular regional food from Yamanashi prefecture in Japan.

Hoto – Noodle Soup from Yamanashi

INGREDIENTS

Dashi (anchovy + kombu)

• ¾ cup iriko or niboshi (dried baby sardines/anchovies) (30 g)
• 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (5 g, 1.5” x 3.5”)
• 5 cups water (1200 ml)

Hoto Ingredients

• ⅛ kabocha (squash/pumpkin) (180 g with seeds)
• 1 inch daikon radish (120 g)
• ⅓ carrot
• 1 potato
• ¼ onion
• 2 leaves napa cabbage
• ½-1 leek (or negi/long green onion)
• ½ shimeji mushrooms (50 g)
• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
• 6 oz sliced pork loin
• 7.8 oz Hoto noodles (uncooked) (220 g) (or 18 oz/500 g frozen sanuki udon noodles or see Notes for homemade)

Seasonings

• 4 Tbsp sake
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 5-6 Tbsp miso
• kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (to taste)

To Serve

• Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (for spicy)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   

Make Dashi

1. Soak the kombu in 5 cups water.
2. Remove the head and gut (inside the tummy area) of anchovies. If you’re not sure where the gut is, it’s the black thing inside the tummy area. This will reduce the bitter flavor in dashi.
3. Put the clean anchovies (left piles) in a tea bag (or cheesecloth) and discard the remains.
4. Add the bag to the kombu dashi, cover, and slowly bring to almost a boil on low heat.
5. Once almost boiling, remove the kombu and continue to cook anchovies for another 10 minutes. Skim the foam/scam while cooking. After 10 minutes, remove the bag of anchovies. Set aside.

Prepare Ingredients

1. Remove the seeds of kabocha squash and cut it into 1-inch cubes.
2. Cut daikon into half and cut into ¼ inch slices. Then cut them in half.
3. Cut carrot into ¼ inch thick rounds. If you like, you can cut out into a flower shape.
4. Cut the potato into small pieces and cut the onion into ½ inch slices.
5. Cutting the napa cabbage into smaller pieces, especially the bottom tougher part of the leaves.
6. Cut the leeks into 2-inch pieces. Cut each tube piece into quarters lengthwise.
7. Cut the bottom of shimeji mushroom and shiitake mushrooms.
8. [Optional] You make a decorative flower shape on the cap of shiitake mushrooms. See the post here.
9. Pour boiling water over Aburaage to remove oil and cut into 4 pieces.
11. Now all the ingredients are ready to be cooked.
    

Cook Hoto

1. Heat the dashi over medium heat and start cooking tough vegetables first, such as leeks, onion, daikon, the bottom part of napa cabbage, potatoes, kabocha, etc.

2. Once boiling, add the thinly sliced pork (separate each slice).
3. Add 4 Tbsp sake and 2 Tbsp mirin. Bring it to boil. Once boiling, add the rest of ingredients and hoto noodles.
4. Bring it back to boil again and skim the foam/scum as you cook.
5. Add the 5-6 Tbsp miso (varies depending on the type of miso) and continue to cook on simmer until noodles and all the ingredients are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Always check the flavor. Add salt to taste and add more miso if necessary. Serve hot and enjoy! We usually bring the donabe to the table with a portable gas burner stove and serve into individual bowls. Sprinkle Shichimi Togarashi if you like it spicy.

RECIPE NOTES

To make hoto noodles (for 4 servings):

 

1. In a large bowl, combine 200 g all-purpose flour and 90 g water. Only if necessary, add a little bit of water. Transfer to a working surface.
2. Knead until the dough becomes smooth texture and form a ball. Transfer back to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the working surface with the extra flour and divide the dough into 2. Flatten each dough with the heal of your hand and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Thickness should be 3-4 mm.
4. Sprinkle flour on the working surface and fold the sheet of the dough into third or fourth and cut into 1 cm thickness.
5. Divide the noodles into 2 (one half for this recipe, the other half for next batch of hoto – make sure to sprinkle extra flour so noodles don’t stick together).

 

https://www.justonecookbook.com/hoto-noodle-soup-yamanashi/?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%F0%9F%8D%97What+to+Do+with+Leftovers+%2B+%F0%9F%8E%84Gift+Guide+%2B+%F0%9F%8E%81New+Giveaway+%2B+%F0%9F%8D%B2Soups+to+Warm+Your+Soul%20-%204861872