Somen Noodles with Hearty Warm Dipping Broth

Slice the eggplant into thin rounds. This shortens the cooking time while leaving a bit of texture for a melting finish.

Julienne the ginger. Use plenty so it makes its presence felt.

Slice the myoga into rounds.

Cut the shiso leaves and soak them briefly in water to make them fluffy. Roughly chop the mitsuba. Trim off the base of the shimeji if attached (use pre-cut shimeji as is). Cut the green onion as well.

Add a generous 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to a pot over medium heat, add the ginger, and heat it slowly to draw out the aroma fully.

Start boiling water for the somen on the next burner.

Add the eggplant and stir everything to coat it with the oil and ginger. Keep the heat at medium, cover, and leave it for about 3 minutes, stirring partway through to cook it evenly. It tastes good with a bit of browning.

Add about 100g of pork and the shimeji, and cook thoroughly until the eggplant becomes meltingly soft.

Sprinkle in about half a pack of katsuobushi and add water equal to about half the volume of the ingredients (less than enough to just cover).

Add mentsuyu until the ingredients are just covered and adjust the seasoning. The key is to make it slightly stronger since the somen and garnishes will be added. Taste and finish.

Boil the somen in the boiling water for about 1 1/2 minutes, then rinse well in cold water to firm it up. Coating it with ice keeps it from going soft and keeps it cold.

Serve the hot, hearty broth in a bowl and eat by dipping the somen into it. Add plenty of garnishes such as green onion, shiso, myoga, and mitsuba, and serve with kimchi or Korean seaweed if you like.