FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Preparing fresh-noodle soup is easy

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

"Tampopo," the hilarious 1980s spoof — about a cowboy truck driver and a noodle-shop owner on a quest for the perfect noodle soup technique — came immediately to mind the other day when Rob De Vera, whose family has purchased Liliha Saimin, the 52-year-old noodle manufacturing company on South King Street, dropped off a package of their trademark Japanese-style wheat noodles, made with no preservatives, no artificial coloring, and with a soup base that contains no MSG.

Liliha Saimin has long been known as a fund-raising vehicle, but the previous owners largely ignored the retail market. But it's back at Times and Daiei now, and the company is planning to expand to the Neighbor Islands and the Mainland. It also has launched a slick Web site (www.lilihasaimin.com).

On a rainy Saturday morning, with the cupboard pretty much bare of breakfast foods, my husband and I tucked into two steaming bowls of saimin with nothing on top but some scrambled eggs. But before the saimin bowls got to the table, my husband and I had a "Tampopo"-esque discussion of just how the noodles should be prepared.

The prevalence of instant ramen has probably caused many households to forget — or never learn — the proper technique for preparing fresh noodles. Main thing: Don't boil noodles in broth! You get starchy broth, squishy noodles.

Instead, bring a generous amount of water to a rolling boil; drop in noodles. Return to a boil; when water starts to rise and foam, pour in a cupful of cold water to cool the outside of the noodles to the same temperature as the inside.

Repeat 2-3 times while noodles cook 4 minutes. Check doneness. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.

Meanwhile, make broth according to package direction (we use half the concentrate to reduce sodium). Or try using half chicken broth, half water, with sesame oil and soy sauce drizzled in.

Or boil together 1/2 cup EACH soy sauce and mirin and 2 tablespoons light brown sugar. Then mix 1 part of this to 5 parts dashi (Japanese broth).

Simmer whatever broth you're using. In a separate pot, boil some water and, using a handled strainer, plunge cold noodles into water just long enough to heat through. Drain, add to broth, serve.

Mmmm, oishi!