Duck Nanban Soba (鴨南蛮, Kamo Nanban)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Heavy skillet for rendering duck and browning negi
• •Large pot for soba
• •Soba colander (zaru), or a wide colander
• •Instant-read thermometer, useful for duck

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat, about ten minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides of the pot. Boil it and the stock turns bitter and a little slick, which is a poor trade for impatience.

   You're steeping the kelp, not cooking it hard. The clean edge of the broth begins here.
2. 2

   Add the flakes

   Bring the water just to a gentle boil after the konbu is out. Add the katsuobushi all at once, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for three minutes. The flakes will sink as they give up their flavor. Strain through a cloth or fine-mesh strainer and let it drip without pressing.

   Don't squeeze the flakes. Squeezing presses out strong, oily flavors and clouds the dashi you meant to keep clear.
3. 3

   Prepare the duck

   Pat the duck breasts dry. Score the skin in a shallow crosshatch, cutting through the fat but not into the meat, then season with the salt. Scoring gives the fat a path out of the skin as it warms. Cut into the flesh and the juices escape where you wanted them kept.

4. 4

   Render the skin

   Set the duck skin-side down in a cold heavy skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Let the skin render slowly for eight to ten minutes, pouring off excess fat if the pan floods. Turn the duck and sear the flesh side for one minute, then move it to a board to rest. Slow heat gives you browned skin and usable fat; high heat gives you burned skin over soft fat, which impresses no one.

5. 5

   Brown the negi

   Leave about one tablespoon of duck fat in the skillet. Add the negi pieces and brown them on two sides until marked and slightly softened, three to five minutes. The outside should color while the inside stays juicy. This turns the onion sweet and lets the duck fat season the broth without taking it over.

6. 6

   Season the broth

   In a pot, combine the dashi, shōyu, mirin, sake, and sugar. Add the browned negi and bring the broth to a quiet simmer for five minutes. Taste it. It should be deeper and saltier than a clear soup, because soba will soften it in the bowl, but it should still taste like dashi first.

7. 7

   Slice the duck

   Slice the rested duck across the grain into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Add the slices to the simmering broth for one to two minutes, just until warmed through and cooked to your comfort. For guests who need strict food safety, cook the duck through completely. Tender duck is the aim, but a guest's safety outranks style.

8. 8

   Cook the soba

   Boil the soba in a large pot of unsalted water according to the package timing, tasting a strand early. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and rub gently with your hands until the surface starch is gone. Just before serving, dip the noodles briefly in fresh hot water and drain well. This keeps the broth clear and the noodles springy.

9. 9

   Assemble the bowls

   Warm four deep bowls. Divide the soba among them, ladle in the hot broth, and arrange duck slices and negi on top in small groups rather than a heap. Finish with a sliver of yuzu peel and a light pinch of shichimi tōgarashi if you like. Leave the surface room to breathe, even in a soup bowl.

Chef Tips

• •Use duck breast with the skin on. The skin is not decoration here; it is the quiet seasoning that gives the broth its winter depth.
• •Look for thick Japanese negi if you can. Small scallions turn limp before they become sweet. A small leek is a sensible stand-in, but call it that and cook it until the center softens.
• •Do not cook the soba in the broth. The starch dulls the soup and makes the noodles feel tired. Boil, rinse, warm, serve. Four verbs, no mystery.
• •If the broth looks oily, skim it. A sheen is right. A slick surface means the duck fat has stopped seasoning and started shouting.

Advance Preparation

• •The konbu can soak in the cold water overnight in the refrigerator for a rounder dashi. Bring it up gently the next day and continue with the katsuobushi.
• •The finished dashi keeps two days refrigerated. The seasoned broth can be made one day ahead, but add the duck and soba only at the end.
• •Cut the negi and score the duck a few hours ahead, then keep them covered and chilled. Cook the soba just before serving; it loses its clean spring if it waits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 700g)