Hon-kaeshi is a dark Japanese noodle sauce often served with chilled soba noodles or other savory dishes. Its ingredients are a ratio of dark soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. I have adapted the ratio for 1 serving, though, it can probably be multiplied for more. And, since I'm using this with a bowl of fresh soba noodles, this preparation is for serving it fresh. A traditional method would be to cook the ingredients together for storage in the refrigerator. You could probably use unbleached granulated sugar instead of brown sugar, but you should use a good quality soy sauce and mirin. I used Takara mirin, a cooking sake.
Ingredients
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp brown sugar
Directions
Combine ingredients and mix until sugar has dissolved. Serve as is in a separate bowl from soba noodles or mix with soba noodles, then serve.
Can also prepare with rehydrated wakame seaweed and serve over cooked soba noodles. I like wakame since it is cheaper and easier to find in the Pacific NW than bonito, and much easier to prepare than kombu seaweed.
Because this recipe calls for both sugar and soy sauce, it can also be used as a flavoring with grilled chicken (yakitori), thin slices of beef served over vegetables (sukiyaki), etc.
The traditional Kaeshi prep method is as follows:
4 1/4 c. (1 litre) good quality soy sauce
3/4 to 1 c. mirin
3/4 to 1 c. brown sugar
Directions:
1. In a pot, heat mirin until boiling, then simmer until much of the alcohol has evaporated.
2. Turn off heat and add sugar to pot, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add soy sauce and bring to a boil until liquid temp is 185 degrees F (85 degrees C).
4. Turn off heat and let cool until transferring liquid to a container.
Snickerdoodles
What's a better reason to bake cookies than making a batch of one with an amusing name. There are four primary ingredients in this recipe which make them really delicious and yet so unhealthy. They are a perfect complement with milk, ice cream, or eating them at a rest stop along Interstate 5; which, strangely enough is where I had them last this summer. In WA state, all the rest stops along I-5 are staffed by local volunteer groups like the Ham radio club of Vancouver, Lion's International, Rotary club chapters, etc. The state highway benefits from having fewer tired drivers on the road, thus fewer accidents, and the nonprofit organization is able to raise 'donation' funds. It's a really neat idea to offer free coffee/tea/cocoa and cookies to visitors at rest stops. I have never seen an accident (fortunately) between south of Olympia and north of Portland along this highway.
Anyhow, back to the recipe. We can safely assume that these cookies originated from Western Europe, or wherever there was a large influx of sugar and dairy traders. The Joy of Cooking book attributes the cookie's origin to Germany. Other sources seem to indicate it being of Dutch, New England (Pennsylvania USA), or Roman origin. It is basically a butter-sugar cookie dough rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. Traditionally it was made with cream of tartar as its leavening agent and aluminum-free baking powder can be substituted. It's interesting to note that these cookies don't resemble snails in any way, so attributing the origin to the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles") is odd.
I'd imagine that the cinnamon could be swapped out with other spices like ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, or nutmeg, and the spice flavor would be much more intense.
Dough Ingredients
2 3/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 1/2 c. granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coating
1/3 c. granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1a. In a bowl, combine dry dough ingredients together.
1b. In a smaller bowl, whisk together sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
1c. In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
If you have a stand mixer, you could cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and vanilla extract. And, gradually add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) until entirely incorporated into a dough. But alas, I don't have a stand mixer.
3. Gradually mix together dry with wet until a dough forms.
4. Take a teaspoon and scoop out some dough. Roll it into a ball and then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place ball on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and squish flat with the underside of the 1-cup measuring cup, or a large glass.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are golden brown; if you don't, the thicker cookies will taste a bit raw in the center. Let cool on racks before storing in an air tight container at room temperature.
Anyhow, back to the recipe. We can safely assume that these cookies originated from Western Europe, or wherever there was a large influx of sugar and dairy traders. The Joy of Cooking book attributes the cookie's origin to Germany. Other sources seem to indicate it being of Dutch, New England (Pennsylvania USA), or Roman origin. It is basically a butter-sugar cookie dough rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. Traditionally it was made with cream of tartar as its leavening agent and aluminum-free baking powder can be substituted. It's interesting to note that these cookies don't resemble snails in any way, so attributing the origin to the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles") is odd.
I'd imagine that the cinnamon could be swapped out with other spices like ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, or nutmeg, and the spice flavor would be much more intense.
Dough Ingredients
2 3/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 1/2 c. granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coating
1/3 c. granulated unbleached cane sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1a. In a bowl, combine dry dough ingredients together.
1b. In a smaller bowl, whisk together sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
1c. In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
If you have a stand mixer, you could cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and vanilla extract. And, gradually add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) until entirely incorporated into a dough. But alas, I don't have a stand mixer.
3. Gradually mix together dry with wet until a dough forms.
4. Take a teaspoon and scoop out some dough. Roll it into a ball and then roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place ball on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and squish flat with the underside of the 1-cup measuring cup, or a large glass.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are golden brown; if you don't, the thicker cookies will taste a bit raw in the center. Let cool on racks before storing in an air tight container at room temperature.
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| Snickerdoodles Cooling on a Wire Rack |
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