INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. Ginger-Scallion Sauce* (see recipe below)
1/2 teaspoon Mushroom Powder* (see recipe below)
10-12 oz. ounces fresh noodles (preferably alkaline ramen noodles)
2 tsp. thinly sliced radishes
Thinly sliced cucumber
1 1/2 teaspoons matcha (green tea powder)
Recipe for *Ginger-Scallion Sauce:
Makes 2 cups
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
2/3 cup minced peeled ginger (about 5 oz.)
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fish sauce (optional)
1 tsp. Mushroom Powder*
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes, then add oil and remove from the heat. Add the ginger, scallions, salt, and sugar and cook, stirring continuously, to wilt the scallions a bit and take the edge off the ginger. Allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes in the pan. Season the sauce with the fish sauce, if using, and mushroom powder, then scoop it into an airtight container (a wide-mouthed pint jar is ideal). The sauce is ready for immediate deployment on noodles. To store it, top it off with more olive oil to prevent oxidation and refrigerate, tightly sealed, for a week or even longer.
Recipe for *Mushroom Powder
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 (1-inch) square dashi kombu
1/2 oz. stemmed, dried shiitake mushrooms
Use a pair of kitchen shears to snip the kombu into 4 or 5 smaller pieces, then grind it to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder or blender. Transfer to a bowl. Grind the mushrooms to a powder and combine with the kombu. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Like ground spices, this begins to lose its potency immediately.
DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and salt it well. In a medium bowl, combine the ginger scallion sauce and mushroom powder with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2/3 cup of the boiling water. Stir to combine. Drop the noodles into the pot of boiling water, stir and cook until just al dente — 2 minutes, tops. Drain the noodles well and dump them into the bowl with the seasonings. Stir to combine, then transfer to a serving bowl, along with the flavorful liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
Drizzle the noodles with hoisin, then top with slices of radish and cucumber. Finish with a good dusting of matcha and serve immediately. The noodles will begin to stick together as soon as they get cold.
