Morioka Reimen

Morioka is the capital of Iwate prefecture in rural northeastern Tohoku. Morioka is in fact famous for three kinds of noodle dishes. Jajamen a thin udon noodle dish with a topping of minced pork, onion,shiitake,mushrooms, ginger,black ground sesame,miso,sesame oil and green onion. I made a vegan version of this dish by using soy mince instead. Add this on top of cooked udon.

Finish with cucumber, chopped green onion and chilli oil. Mix together before eating.

There is also Wanko soba, served in tiny bowls with various condiments. There is even a National Wanko soba  competition to see how many bowls of soba you  can eat in one sitting. Each time you finish a bowl more will be quickly served to you until you say stop. The record is 380 bowls in 10 mins ! You can also try this yourself in some of the restaurants, have you ever done this ?
The last of the famous Morioka noodles is Reimen. This noodle dish is perfect for a hot summers day as it’s served chilled. The dish combines spicy and refreshing. It is made with a tare sauce broth and sides of cucumber and kimchi. It normally comes with a boiled egg on top. Why not use my vegan egg recipe to add to this and make it look even more authentic. It  also surprisingly comes with a refreshing slice of melon or pear, which is what makes this dish so different.
To make the tare add to a pan 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, 1/4 cup mirin, 1/4 cup soy sauce, two tablespoons of sake, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of brown rice vinegar, 1 inch grated ginger, 1 chopped green onion. Bring everything to a simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup. Strain and store in the fridge.
Use 2 part stock to one tare to make your broth.

Add cooked Ramen noodles and your toppings of kimchi, vegan egg, cucumber and fruit. I used pieces of pear. Have you ever visited Morioka and tried any of these famous noodle dishes for yourself?