Somen in a Clay Pot with Chicken and Eggplant
- 2 Chinese eggplants
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 13 ounces chicken leg and thigh, skin on, deboned
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1/4 cup sake
- 8 pea pods, stemmed
- 5 cups hot Udon Broth (page 66)
- 12 ounces dried somen noodles
- 1 1/4 cups shimeji mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon yuzu pepper (optional)
- Heat a grill or grill pan until hot.
- With the tip of a paring knife, poke several small holes on each side of the eggplants.
- Grill the eggplants, turning every 2 to 4 minutes, until the skin becomes charred and very soft, about 10 minutes total cooking time.
- Remove the eggplants from the grill and let them sit at room temperature until cool.
- Meanwhile, pour the vegetable oil into a pot that is just large enough to place the chicken in a single layer and set it over high heat.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
- When the oil just begins to smoke, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until the skin turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and cook for 1 minute longer, then flip again and decrease the heat to low.
- Carefully pour in the sake, then cover the pot with a lid.
- Cook over low heat for 2 minutes longer, then remove the pot from the burner and let sit, covered, for 2 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set on a plate or cutting board until cool, then use your hands to shred the chicken into small pieces.
- Once the eggplants have cooled, slice off the top and bottom ends and use your hands to peel off the skin, which you can discard.
- Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch-long pieces.
- Set aside.
- Prepare an ice bath and place a pot of water over high heat.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the pea pods and cook for 45 seconds.
- Remove the pea pods and submerge in the ice bath.
- Drain well.
- When chilled, slice each into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Set aside.
- (Note: Do not discard the boiling water; cover and keep warm until youre ready to cook the noodles.)
- Pour the hot broth into 4 clay pots, then set each pot over high heat.
- Add the somen noodles to the reserved boiling water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute.
- Rinse under cold running water until chilled, and drain well.
- Once the broth comes to a boil, divide the somen noodles equally among the clay pots and top each with one-fourth of the eggplant, mushrooms, and chicken.
- Cover and increase the heat to high until the liquid returns to a boil, about 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat.
- Set a folded paper towel in the center of 2 heatproof plates and rest the clay pots on top of them.
- Briefly remove the lids to garnish with the pea pods and yuzu pepper.
- Replace the lids to serve.
chinese eggplants, vegetable oil, chicken, kosher salt, pepper, sake, pods, somen noodles, mushrooms, yuzu pepper
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/somen-in-a-clay-pot-with-chicken-and-eggplant-380544 (may not work)