The soothing nood

Instructions

1. To make the stock reduction, combine the ingredients in a large, clean glass jar, give it a little shake then leave in the fridge overnight. The following day, boil the mixture in a small saucepan, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and store until needed. The mushrooms and kombu can be eaten, if you like!
   
2. When ready to cook the udon noodles, measure how much of the mentsuyu stock reduction you would like to use and combine it with an equal quantity of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste to adjust to your liking.
   
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions, stirring to ensure they don’t clump. Drain, then divide between serving bowls.
   
4. Gently poach the halved bok choy in the mentsuyu stock reduction for 10 seconds, then remove from the heat. Top the udon noodle bowls with mentsuyu stock reduction, bok choy, eggs and sprinkle with the spring onion and sesame seeds.

• Udon noodle varieties, udon sauce and kombu tsuyu are easily available at your local Asian grocery stores.
  
• To boil the eggs, immerse room temperature eggs into boiling water and cook for 6 minutes, cool and peel before using.
  
• This recipe is incredibly versatile and can be varied in a multitude of ways. Recommended additions include a raw egg yolk, spiral fish cakes, battered tempura prawns, fried duck breast, bean sprouts, chilli crisp oil, finely grated daikon and shichimi togarashi.
  
• An interesting fact about kombu is that it contains the enzyme glutamic acid which helps boost bean flavour and break down the complex sugars in beans which can make them tough on the digestion. So if you’re into cooking beans, add a strip of kombu to make them easier to digest.