In the world of noodles, some things don’t fit neatly into categories. Japanese harusame ‘spring rain’, look like bean thread noodles, but are made from potato and corn starches. Shirataki, also Japanese, are fine strands of a jelly-like paste, konnyaku, made from Japanese yam. Shirataki, meaning ‘white waterfall’, is most commonly used in sukiyaki and sold suspended in water in clear plastic sausage-shaped packaging. Korea’s dang myun, a long greyish noodle, is the final wildcard. Made from sweet potato starch, it’s particularly chewy and good for soaking up broths.

You’ll need to begin this recipe the day before.

Ingredients

Noodles

½ daikon (white radish), peeled, halved lengthways and thinly sliced widthways

1 tsp ground chilli

½ tsp minced ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp finely chopped green onion

400 gm dang myun

1 tsp sesame oil

600 gm sashimi-grade tuna, cut into 2cm cubes

1 nashi pear, halved and thinly sliced

1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways, using a mandoline

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

To serve: Chinese mustard

Vinegar dipping sauce

60 ml rice vinegar (¼ cup)

110 ml soy sauce

2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 tsp ground chilli

2 tsp sugar

Method

Main

1.Combine daikon, chilli, ginger, garlic, 1 tbsp green onion and 1 tbsp sea salt in a non-reactive bowl and toss to coat. Cover and stand at room temperature overnight.

2.For vinegar sauce, combine ingredients, stir to dissolve sugar and stand overnight.

3.Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add dang myun and return to the boil. Add 1 cup cold water, cover, return to the boil, remove from heat and stand for 3 minutes or until cooked through. To test whether noodles are cooked, cut a noodle and check it is the same colour all the way through. Drain, refresh in cold water, drain again and toss through sesame oil. Divide among serving bowls.

4.Combine tuna, remaining green onion and 2 tbsp vinegar sauce in a bowl, toss to combine and arrange over noodles. Top with nashi, cucumber and egg and serve with remaining vinegar sauce, mustard and kimchi daikon passed separately.

Styling by Emma Knowles

Ingredients

Method

Main

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