We’re making Jajamen, a local dish from Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. The rich and deep flavor of the meat miso mixture is delicious when mixed with udon noodles.
First, we'll make a miso-based seasoning sauce. Combine the miso with sake, mirin, and sugar in a bowl.
Mix everything thoroughly. This time, we used Sendai miso, which has a relatively higher salt content of 13%. In general, miso from colder regions has a higher salt content and a darker color. If you use a miso with a lower salt content, increase the amount of miso accordingly.
Next, let's make the meat miso mixture.
Heat up the sesame oil in a frying pan, then add the grated ginger and garlic and sauté.
When it starts to give off a fragrant aroma, add the finely chopped onions and continue to stir-fry. All the ingredients are finely chopped so that they can be easily blended into the meat mixture.
When the onion is translucent, continue to stir-fry until the excess moisture has evaporated.
Then, add the ground pork and stir-fry thoroughly while breaking it up.
When the redness in the meat disappears, add the chopped shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry.
Finely chop the stems of the shiitake and use them as well.
Lower the heat and quickly add the seasoning sauce that we prepared earlier.
Miso tends to burn easily, so mix quickly.
Once the miso is well combined, add the chicken stock or water and turn up the heat.
Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
When the water has evaporated a little and the mixture has thickened to this degree, add the ground black sesame seeds and sesame oil.
By the way, this meat miso is also delicious when served over grilled eggplant or tofu, or mixed with rice.
Combine everything thoroughly and the meat miso is now ready. Let it cool down and then transfer it to a container.
Now, let's make Morioka Jajamen. Place the frozen udon noodles in a pot of boiling water.
While traditionally flat noodles like kishimen are used in Jajamen, we are using regular frozen udon noodles that are more easily available.
When the noodles have loosened and heated through, place them into a mesh strainer. Thoroughly remove any excess water.
Then, place the udon onto a plate and spread them out. Alternatively, you can try making it with cold udon noodles. When the boiled udon noodles are cooled down in ice water, they become firm and chewy and have a delicious texture.
Arrange shredded cucumber on top of the noodles. Add the finely chopped long green onion and place the meat miso mixture in the center.
Top with grated ginger and beni shoga, pickled ginger.
To enjoy Morioka Jajamen, mix the noodles and toppings thoroughly.
The characteristic of Morioka Jajamen is that you can enjoy it while creating your own preferred taste. You can add extra meat miso, spring onions, salt, pepper, Sichuan chili oil, and other ingredients. It's a very free and interesting dish to eat!
To help you customize the flavor, we'll present two examples for you to try. For the first bowl, add grated garlic and Sichuan chili oil. Toss to coat and enjoy the spicy flavor.
For the second bowl, add more meat miso mixture and shredded cucumber. Finally, pour over vinegar for a refreshing taste.
Recipe Notes
At Jajamen specialty shops, it is popular to make egg soup by whisking an egg with the leftover noodles in the bowl and pouring over hot water from udon.
The meat miso can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week or frozen for later use.