Urume-bushi ✦

Urume-bushi (sardine ronde séchée)

What it is

Urume-iwashi means moist-eye sardine, for eyes so large and glassy they look wet, and the round herring behind the name is not a sardine at all. Too small to survive the mould cure, it is only ever dried to the smoked arabushi stage, which is exactly why it gives Kansai udon and ramen broths their roasted, oily depth.

In the kitchen

Snap the heads off and pull the dark guts before soaking, or the stock turns bitter. Cold-steep the bodies in water overnight, then bring it to just under a simmer — boiling urume clouds the broth.

Goes with

Kombu Niboshi Usukuchi shoyu Negi Hon-mirin Soba noodles

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