Happy new year!
Many Japanese families have soba noodles on new year’s eve. We believe having soba on new year’s eve will bring us good luck. You know, soba is long > longevity kind of thing. We tried duck and leek (kamo-nanban) soba this holiday.
On December 31st, I bought duck breast at a grocery store. It was $21@0.88lb (400g).
First, I set Anova precision cooker at 58C (136F) degrees and leave the duck at the temperature for 3 hours. Duck should be put in a ziploc bag.
Cooking first with Anova was my wife’s idea. Last time, we tried kamo-nanban as well but I just pan-fried duck, and it was too dry and tough for our liking.
While it’s being cooked, I pan-fried leek over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
Japanese leeks are different from leeks that we can buy at grocery stores in the US, and they are like the combination of leek and green onion. We usually use green onions as an alternative for Japanese leeks, but for this soba, I think US leeks are better suited.
When the duck is done, I pan-fried it skin-side down over high heat for a minute. It would have been better if I heat it for 2-3 min, though.
Here is the duck and leek soba noodles. Thanks to Anova, duck was juicy and tasty. Leek was also sweet and good.
Ingredients of soba dipping soup for 3 people:
- Dashi stock 600ml (3 cups)
- Sugar - 3 table spoons
- Sake - 4 table spoons
- Shoyu - 4 table spoons
Or, you can use ready-made Japanese noodle soup base (eg, Kikkoman). The point is to pour oil from leek and duck for rich and mild taste.