Suzuka sits in Mie Prefecture, and Mie's most famous noodle bowl comes from Ise, the city of the great Ise Grand Shrine, about an hour south of the circuit. Ise udon breaks the usual rule that udon should be firm and springy: the very thick noodles are boiled for a long time until they are astonishingly soft, then served with just a few spoonfuls of a dark, rich sauce made from tamari soy sauce and dashi, with no broth to speak of. It looks like ink and tastes mellow, sweet and deeply savory.

The local farmers began by eating udon simply with tamari, a by product of making miso, and the gentle noodles were later served to pilgrims at the shrine, whose long journeys on foot had left them, one imagines, with little patience for chewing. It is fast, filling and very simple to make, and it is the most local dish you can cook for a weekend at Suzuka.

The tamari sauce

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) water
• 1 piece (about 3 inches / 7.5 cm square) kombu
• 1/2 cup (5 g) katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) tamari
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) mirin
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Method

1. Put the water and kombu in the small saucepan and heat over medium low heat until small bubbles appear at the edge, about 5 minutes. Remove the kombu just before it boils. Add the bonito flakes, simmer for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and leave for 3 minutes.
2. Pour through the fine sieve into a bowl and press gently on the flakes. Rinse the pan.
3. Return the dashi to the pan with the tamari, mirin and sugar. Simmer over medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring.

The noodles

Ingredients

• 4 portions (about 1 3/4 lb / 800 g) frozen thick udon noodles
• 4 scallions
• 2 tablespoons katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Method

1. Bring the large pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen noodles and boil for 8 to 10 minutes, about twice the packet time, stirring gently now and then so they separate.
2. Drain well in the colander and shake. Do not rinse.
3. Divide the noodles among the warm bowls and spoon 3 tablespoons of the sauce over each.
4. Pile the scallions on top and scatter with bonito flakes.

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