Tanuki udon

Method

1. 1 Mix the flour with ice water to form a very thin paste, then pour it in a small stream into 180-degree oil.
2. 2 The water must be ice-cold; a warm paste will make the flour crumbly and sticky, not light and crispy.
3. 3 Remove the tempura crumbs as soon as they turn light golden brown, then drain them on paper towels.
4. 4 Cook the kombu broth with dried halibut, then season with soy sauce and mirin.
5. 5 Boil the udon noodles for 10 minutes, then blanch them in hot water and arrange them in a bowl.
6. 6 Pour the broth over the tempura and sprinkle the crumbled tempura crumbs on top immediately upon serving; sprinkling them too early will cause them to crumble into a paste.

With an appliance

• Air fryer 42 min

  Replace steps 1–3: lightly dust the dough onto perforated baking paper, spray with a thin layer of oil, then cook in a 200°C air fryer for 7 minutes, stirring at the 4th minute; this is longer than deep frying (about 2 minutes), but with significantly less oil and no need to monitor the pan at 180°C. The resulting crumbs are crispier and drier but less airy and porous. The broth and udon noodles in steps 4–5 remain unchanged.