Undoubtedly, one of the most important staples in Japanese cooking is the noodle. Whether it is a trying a simple ramen dish, making handmade soba noodles, or just understanding the great cultural divides within regions of Japan, noodles are an important part of both Japanese culture and cuisine.Chef Takashi Yagihashi is a top Japanese chef in America and his book, Takashi’s Noodles, is definitely a book you will want on your culinary reference shelf. Harris Salat, a food and culture writer for renowned publications like Gourmet, the New York Times, and Saveur, contributed to Takashi’s Noodles as well.

Introduction to Japanese Noodles — Buying and Cooking Noodles

Yagihashi starts off with an introduction to his experience growing up in Japan and how his humble kitchen beginnings propelled him to the culinary success he shares today. His simple approach to explaining the various types of noodles, and how they vary in different parts of Japan, make this not only a source for recipes, but a true educational read on Japanese food culture.

Integral pats of the Introduction include an explanation on how to buy and cook noodles. The key element in much of Japanese cooking is the source of ingredients and preparation of the base ingredients. Since Yagihashi is a Japanese American restaurateur, the sourcing of ingredients is well-suited for a U.S. based audience that may not be familiar with what options ethnic aisles or Asian grocery stores offer.

Other components of the Introduction include an explanation on the proper way to blanch vegetables and what dashi is, one of the most widely used ingredients in Japanese cooking.

Recipes in Takashi’s Noodles

Takashi’s Noodles contains six chapters devoted to all things noodles, and a seventh that is a welcome surprise containing popular Japanese style appetizers. Chapters include:

• Ramen
• Soba
• Udon
• Somen
• Asian Noodles
• Pasta
• Appetizers

Yagahashi’s recipes are very straight forward and easy to follow — even for a less experienced cook. All soup bases and sauce accompaniments have recipes included as well. And, of course, there is the signature recipe for the dashi. Dashi is actually a type of stock that is added to numerous noodle dishes and other Japanese dishes. It had its beginnings in early times when butter and animal fats were not found in Japanese cuisine. The dashi provided the flavor and is often regarded as the “umami” element in many Japanese recipes. While its derivation of dried kelp and shaved bonito flakes may sound less than appetizing, trust in its ability to elevate your noodle dish to the level of those found in Japan’s most popular noodle stalls.A few recipes of note in Takashi’s Noodles include the Cold Soba Noodles (page 43), Curry Udon (page 68), Beef Short Ribs with Saifun Bean Threads (page 96), Rice Noodle Pho (page 106) and the Gyoza (pages 148-150).

About the Author — Takashi Yagihashi

Chef Yagihashi grew up 100 miles northeast of Tokyo in a small city called Mito. He grew up near neighborhood noodle shops that cultivated his love for noodles at an early age. Attending school with a kid from one of these noodle shops gave him an inside look at the world of noodles — one that he likened to a Japanese noodle version of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory.

Yagihashi had an earnest start in local mom and pop kitchens that eventually launched an international culinary career that sent him to Tokyo, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Detroit. He has received countless accolades for his cuisine, including a prestigious James Beard award.

He opened his restaurant Tribute in Detroit in 1996 to rave reviews, and he went on to create Okada in 2005 for the Wynn Las Vegas. He became a member of the Macy’s Culinary Council and opened Noodles by Takashi at Macy’s in Chicago and then opened his namesake restaurant Takashi in 2007. Takashi received one Michelin star in both 2010 and 2011. In late 2011, Chef Yagihashi opened Slurping Turtle in downtown Chicago, focusing on what else but Ramen, along with items from the bincho grill and sashimi.

Our Tasty Travels Experience with Takashi’s Noodles

This is an ideal book for both inexperienced and experienced home cooks looking to learn more about Japanese noodles. The recipes are very straightforward and I’ve made a number of the dishes already. If you are in an area with Asian markets, some of the ingredients you can purchase (dashi for example), but it is more fun to take on the challenge to make your own. If you are unfamiliar with ingredients and Japanese terms, there is a great glossary included explaining some of the most common ones. Even Brett, who is a wee bit challenged in the kitchen, could create a traditional Japanese noodle dish (if he actually tried! Ha!)

• Title:Takashi’s Noodles
• Author: Takashi Yagihashi with Harris Salat
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (2009)
• List Price: $24.95 US, 168 pages
• ISBN: 9781580089654

I spent last week roaming around parts of Japan photographing the cherry blossoms, or sakura.  It was my first time in Japan during the blooming period — what an amazing experience.  On the way home, the Japanese menu dessert in Business Class was a mochi type sweet with a cherry blossom pattern on it.  China Airlines logo incorporates the cherry blossom, so this was a nice touch — especially well-timed!

I lived in Vegas for a few years and developed a great relationship with my favorite sushi chef, Hiro, from Osaka.  After I left Vegas, we’d periodically keep in touch and I’d always visit on my return trips home.  On one of my visits home, I asked him to take me someplace that he goes to eat himself.   He recommended Ichiza, which seems to be a popular hangout for Vegas locals, based on the crowd waiting for tables when we arrived.   

They are only open from 5pm until 3am and there is always a wait. The restaurant is not that big so it’s definitely best to call for reservations, especially for late night dining. We definitely got the VIP service being with Hiro, and since nothing on the menu appeared to be in English, we just let him order whatever he wanted.  My friend Lisa and I were stunned at the amount of food that arrived at our table.   I cannot remember the names of everything we had that visit but some of the items are tempura fried okra (which was amazing actually), deep fried quail eggs, some type of spicy chicken dish, a shrimp with eggplant dish, large sashimi platter, oysters, and a whole broiled squid (cut into the calamari rings), and octopus mixed with something and deep fried. I know I am missing quite a few things, but everything we ate was just so delicious!

We tried their sake sampler as well which Hiro said contained one rather expensive sake, which I believe may be Otokoyama.

And the BEST was one of the desserts. Hiro had ordered two desserts for us – one was like a caramel flan,  and the other was called Honey Toast. It’s almost like a half loaf of unsliced bread, hollowed out and toasted, honey drizzled on the inside, and topped with vanilla ice cream.  It is absolutely amazing.  I’ve actually since tried making it myself and will include a link to the recipe when I get it posted!  

You would think the amount of food we ate, the two sake samplers, and several beers would be quite a bit. It came to right around $100 for all of us including tip. Most of their dishes appear to range from around $4-10, depending on what your order. Most places, a sashimi platter is over $20, add beers and the sake samplers and we might have been over $50 right there.

I also visited Ichiza again in November 2008 on yet another trip home.  This time we had a larger group so we were able to try a variety of things.  Of course, we had the honey toast again….two to be exact!   This time we visited on a weeknight and had only about a 20 minute wait, but by the time we went to leave, there was a huge line of people waiting. 

Ichiza is located on Spring Mountain, between Arville and Wynn. It is not on the strip nor within walking distance.  It’s basically in the “Chinatown” of Las Vegas which has some incredible restaurants and fun stores.   It’s not a big restaurant and tables tend to be close together and the later you get there, it can be a bit loud.  Now that I live in Taiwan, it’s really no different than most of the restaurants here.  The menu is interesting since there are things posted all over the restaurant walls and they put a sticky note on an item when it’s sold out.  If you are in the Las Vegas area, I’d definitely recommend stopping by Ichiza and check out a local’s hangout!

Ichiza
4355 Spring Mountain Road
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 367-3151