Bay Area-based Omakase Restaurant Group—the team behind Dumpling Time, Omakase and Okane—has had a busy New Year with the opening of their multi-concept restaurant and butcher shop in SoMa. Located on Division Street, The Butcher Shop by Niku Steakhouse, the only certified Kobe beef retail shop in town, is situated between the upscale steakhouse of the same name and the fast-casual Udon Time restaurant, providing meats to both concepts.
Edgar Agbayani—who trained at the Sanuki Menki Noodle School in Kagawa, Japan—runs the kitchen at Udon Time, doling out house-made noodles that have been aged overnight to be served swimming in house-made broths. The Kamatama udon bowl (available for $12) is Agbayani’s take on the traditional carbonara and features butter, parsley, Parmesan cheese, a kaeshi sauce, which “should be made well in advance,” and a golden egg yolk.
Here’s how to make it at home.
Recipe: Kamatama Udon
Courtesy of Chef Edgar Agbayani, Udon Time, San FranciscoServes 1
Ingredients
250 grams udon noodles (recipe below), cooked
1 fresh golden egg*
15 grams butter
15 grams parsley
25 grams Parmesan cheese
10 grams green onion, sliced
5 grams ginger, minced
15 milliliters kaeshi (recipe below)
5 grams katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Method
Place hot, cooked noodles in a deep bowl. Crack the egg into the center of the noodles. Garnish with butter, parsley, Parmesan, green onion, ginger and a drizzle of kaeshi. Top with katsuoboshi and serve immediately. Stir vigorously with chopsticks until fully incorporated and creamy.
*Note: Chef Agbayani recommends using golden fertile eggs for their richly colored yolks.
Kaeshi
Ingredients
20 milliliters mirin
20 milliliters granulated sugar
180 milliliters light colored soy sauce
Method
Combine mirin, sugar and soy sauce in small sauce pan over low heat and cook until sugar is dissolved; reserve. (Ideally, the mixture should age for two weeks in the refrigerator.)
Fresh Udon Noodles
Ingredients
1000 grams semi-strength wheat flour
300 grams tapioca starch
6 grams wheat gluten
535 grams water, at room temperature
52 grams sea salt
cornstarch, for dusting
Method
1. In a bowl fitted with a mixing attachment, thoroughly mix flour, tapioca starch and wheat gluten. Dissolve salt into the water, then add to flour until fully incorporated.
2. Take dough out of bowl and knead until fully incorporated. Let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Set pasta sheeter to a setting of 4.5-mmm thickness. Cut dough into sections and run through sheeter three times. Layer the sheets and let rest in the refrigerator for two hours.
4. Remove sheets from refrigerator and run through sheeter set at a setting of 3.5-mm thickness and dust with cornstarch; repeat once more. Lay sheets out on a floured surface and cut to desired thickness.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add noodles and cook for 12 minutes or until al dente. (Rinse thoroughly in cold water if not using immediately. To reheat, drop in boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds.)
Photo by Dave Greer.
