Cold-brewed dashi and more with Sonoko Sakai

You’ll love her riff on pasta al limone

It really feels too early for all of the gift guides flooding my inbox, but if you wanted to pick something up for your Thanksgiving host, the time for ordering is now. Perhaps a shiny ornament that looks like a tiny Caesar salad or pickle or stick of butter? Maybe a fun sardine fork or olive fork or talon-shaped tongs? Or candles for the dinner table or a vintage (or vintage-inspired) set of candle holders. I also have my eye on Portuguese dishes beyond cabbages—and some coffee-toned Dansk dishware. 

I’ve also built a list here on Bookshop to gather all of the cookbook recommendations made by podcast guests so far—plus you can see the cookbooks written by Dinner Plan guests here.

While you check those out, how about tuning in to this week’s podcast episode?

I simmered a big pot of broth while listening back to this one, which was fitting, really. “If I don’t have broth in my fridge,” this week’s podcast guest, Sonoko Sakai, told me, “I get nervous.” Her new book, Wafu Cooking, offers a few different versions of this fundamental ingredient, including a cold-brewed kombu dashi (you’ll find the recipe below), a quick chintan dashi made with ground pork and ground chicken, and luscious bone broths that she uses for ramen, curry, and her take on posole, flavored with dried shiitakes and ginger and topped with avocado and shiso.

“Anytime you see something that’s been infused with Japanese ingredients, techniques, presentation, or sensibilities, we say ‘wafu’ in Japan,” Sonoko tells me. “Whether it’s adding Japanese seasonings like sake, soy sauce, mirin…We tweak it. Wafu is like, tweaking it to suit our palates and also to give it a kick more of umami.” 

I chatted with Sonoko about her path to food—she previously bought movies for a Japanese film distributor—and how the storytelling she learned in the film business translated to the culinary instruction and cookbook writing she does today. 

We talked about some of her favorite dinners from this new book, her preferred way to prep a chicken for roasting, and the many uses for a jar of spicy, fragrant yuzu kosho. You’ll find the full recipe for one of those—Sonoko’s riff on Pasta al Limone—if you scroll down.

If you’re reading this via email, you may need to click “view entire message” at the very bottom to read the whole thing and get the recipes.

Win a copy of Wafu Cooking

I have one copy of Sonoko’s new book to give away.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Subscribe to this newsletter.

2. Scroll down and leave a comment on this post.

Rules: US addresses only, 18+, no purchase necessary. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends Friday Nov 22nd.

A few handy links from Sonoko:

Meiji tofu
Sonoko’s quick curry brick kit
Everyday Cooking With Jacques Pepin
The River Cafe Cookbook (she especially loves the winter minestrone) 
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (especially the chicken and bread salad)

This newsletter contains affiliate links; I may receive a small commission when you order.

Photo: Rick Poon

Udon al Yuzu Kosho

Makes 4 servings

Excerpted from Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai. Copyright © 2024 by Sonoko Sakai. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a riff on Italian Pasta al Limone—a cheesy and luscious noodle dish, livened up with lemon zest and juice. The udon noodles give a wafu bite, and the yuzu kosho, a spicy and fragrant Japanese condiment made with yuzu, chili peppers, and salt, adds an unexpected brightness. The udon is garnished with nori, bonito flakes, and shiso leaves. I like to eat this cold during the summer.

2 egg yolks
⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream
Zest and juice from ½ lemon
1½ teaspoons store-bought or homemade Yuzu Kosho (recipe below)
¼ cup (60 ml) Cold-Brewed Kombu Dashi or Kombu and Bonito Dashi (recipes below) 
1 pound (454 grams) udon noodles or linguine
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
Sea salt, to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (45 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 sheet dried nori seaweed, to serve
4 fresh shiso leaves, sliced into thin strips (chiffonade), to serve
4 tablespoons large-flake bonito shavings, to serve

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.

While waiting for the water to boil, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, heavy cream, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, yuzu kosho, and dashi. Stir to combine thoroughly. Taste. Adjust with additional yuzu kosho for a saltier tang or with additional lemon juice for more brightness. Set aside.

Cook the udon in the pot of boiling water until al dente, following the manufacturer’s directions. Scoop the cooked pasta out of the pot and place straight into a large serving bowl with about one ladleful of the cooking broth. Immediately add the butter to the hot pasta and stir until the butter is fully melted and each noodle is glossy and coated.

Give the egg mixture one more stir and gently pour it over the hot buttered noodles. Toss until all the noodles are evenly coated. Taste again and adjust with salt, pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan, as desired. Serve immediately, inviting eaters to top their bowls with torn nori, threads of fresh shiso, and shaved bonito flakes.

Yuzu Kosho

Makes 2/3 cup (157 ml)

Excerpted from Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai.

When the yuzu season arrives in late fall to early winter, I start making yuzu kosho, a spicy, salty, aromatic condiment made from yuzu peel, chilies, and salt. It’s a pungent flavor enhancer that brightens almost any dish—udon noodles, ramen, sashimi, gyoza, grilled foods, salad dressings, hot pots, and even on fresh pineapple! This year, my son, Sakae, and his wife, Binah, helped me peel the yuzu and mince the chilies. I owe them a lot of yuzu kosho. Because yuzu can be difficult to find in the U.S., other types of citrus, such as lemon, lime, or sudachi, can be substituted. Be careful when handling chilies. Wear rubber gloves and goggles if you have sensitive eyes.

About ¾ cup (2½ ounces/70 grams) peeled and minced yuzu (or other citrus; see headnote), from about 3 dozen yuzu
About ¾ cup (2½ ounces/70 grams) finely chopped fresh green chilies (such as Thai, Calabria, jalapeño), stems and seeds removed
1¾ tablespoons sea salt (Adjust salt level to taste. I use 15–20% of the metric weight of the minced yuzu and chilies.)
½ cup (120 ml) yuzu juice (or other citrus juice)

In a medium bowl, combine the peeled and minced yuzu, chilies, and salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or high-speed blender, add the yuzu juice, and process until pureed with a little texture left. Transfer to a sterilized small jar, cover, and refrigerate for 3 days before using. The yuzu kosho will keep for up to a year in the refrigerator. 

Kombu Dashi – Cold Brew Method

Makes 8 cups (about 2 liters)

Excerpted from Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai.

I always have cold brew kombu dashi on standby to use as the base for miso soup in the morning and to season my dishes. It has a subtly briny taste. When soaked in water, kombu reconstitutes itself and will double or triple in size. The spent kombu can be used in several ways. You can make a secondary dashi (see Kitchen Notes) or do as I do and slice it up and enjoy the chew or add to your salads and stir-fry. My husband makes an improvised pickle by placing spent kombu in rice vinegar with a little salt and sugar, and now my son, Sakae, does the same. I also compost spent kombu—my plants love it.

8 cups (2 liters) water
One 5 x 5 inch (12 x 12 cm) piece dried kombu (20 grams)

Fill a pitcher with the water. Add the dried kombu and let it steep for at least 1 hour and up to overnight in the fridge but not more than 12 hours to avoid the dashi getting slimy, because the kombu is water soluble. Remove the kombu. The dashi is now ready to use. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Bonito and Kombu Dashi

Makes 7 cups (1.6 liters)

Excerpted from Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai.

When used in combination, kombu and bonito flakes create a synergy of two amino acids working together to create a much deeper umami. It is the most widely used classic dashi by Japanese chefs and cooks. I always keep a pitcher on standby. Adjust the amount of bonito flakes or kombu based on the depth of umami you wish to achieve. I add an additional cup of bonito flakes and a couple of dried shiitake mushrooms to this recipe when I’m making a noodle soup, so I get that extra-deep oceanic and earthy flavor.

8 cups (2 liters) water
One 5 x 5 inch (13 x 13 cm) piece dried kombu (20 grams)
5 cups (40 grams) bonito flakes

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat combine the water and kombu and cook until the water begins to simmer and bubbles form around the kombu, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the kombu before the water comes to a full boil and set aside. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the bonito flakes. Turn off the heat. Gently stir once and let the flakes steep in the liquid for 2 minutes.

To strain the dashi, pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper towel or damp cheesecloth. Do not press the bonito flakes while straining, as it will cloud the dashi. The dashi can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.