Miso Nikomi Udon

Prepare the dashi stock: Gently wipe the kombu with a damp cloth. Add the kombu to 900g of cold water in a pot and let it soak for 30 minutes. Heat the pot over medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the kombu. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat, then add the katsuobushi. Let it steep for 5 minutes, then strain the dashi stock through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the katsuobushi.

Prepare the ingredients: Cut the chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces. Slice the kamaboko into 5mm thick pieces. Cut the aburaage into strips. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms and score a cross on the caps for decoration and flavor absorption. Slice the long green onion (naganegi) diagonally into 2cm pieces.

Make the miso broth: In a large pot or donabe (clay pot), combine 800g of the prepared dashi stock. Heat over medium heat. In a separate small bowl, take a ladleful of warm dashi and dissolve the Hatcho Miso and Awase Miso thoroughly. Add the dissolved miso mixture back into the pot with the dashi stock. Stir in the mirin, koikuchi soy sauce, and sake. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer.