Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 30 gm instant dashi
  • 60 ml shoyu, plus extra to serve (see note) (¼ cup)
  • 15 gm ginger (3cm piece), cut into julienne
  • 1½ spring onions, thinly sliced
  • ¾ tsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve
  • 3 small Japanese eggplant, thickly sliced
  • 375 gm butternut pumpkin, cut into cubes
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1½ smoked mackerel fillets (about 170gm)
  • 270 gm dried udon noodles
  • To serve: shiso leaves (see note)

Instruction

  • Bring dashi and 750ml water to the boil in a saucepan over high heat, add shoyu, ginger, onion and sesame oil, season to taste, set aside and keep warm.
  • Brush eggplant and pumpkin with miso and steam, covered, in a steamer over a saucepan of boiling water until tender (10-15 minutes), adding mackerel to steamer for the last 2 minutes of cooking to warm through.
  • Meanwhile, cook udon in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender (5-10 minutes), drain and divide among bowls. Top with steamed vegetables and flakes of mackerel. Ladle broth over, scatter with shiso and a few drops of sesame oil to taste, and serve with extra shoyu for seasoning.