The meal comes together super quick, so pair it with a simple salad and it’s perfect for a weeknight. I used linguine, but the original recipe calls for fettucine.

Shiitake and Bacon Alfredo
Adapted from ケンタロウのおかずの王様
Makes 2 servings

4 dried shiitake
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 strips of bacon, sliced in 1/2 inch strips
between 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
7 oz. fettucine

Start by reconstituting the dried shiitake. Boil around 1 cup of water and pour over shiitake in a bowl. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Remove from water (be careful, it’s hot!) and gently squeeze some of the liquid out. Trim the tough stems and slice into 1/4 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat and add the garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant increase the heat to medium-low and add the bacon and the shiitake. Cook until the bacon has slightly browned. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt an pepper and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

Cook fettucine according to package directions and add to the pan with alfredo sauce. Mix well until the pasta is well coated and serve.

Somen is a thin wheat noodle served in cold ice water. The tsuyu is very concentrated because the noodles don’t sit in the broth like hot udon or soba. Instead, you scoop some noodles, quickly dip in the tsuyu and tsuru tsuru! This is a very interactive meal that allows you to adjust the saltiness of the broth (thinning it out with water or adding more tsuyu) and add various toppings as you go.

I kept the toppings simple: thinly sliced cooked egg, mominori (crushed seaweed), wasabi, sesame, and green onion. The somen took 3 minutes to cook, the egg—cooked like a crepe—takes about the same amount of time, and the rest is just chopping. It’s a fast and hassle-free meal to prepare.

Somen
Makes 2 servings

Tsuyu (dipping sauce)
Between ⅓ to ½ cup dashi
1½ Tbsp. shoyu
1 Tbsp. mirin

Toppings
1 large egg, beaten
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 sheet of nori
1 tsp. sesame seeds
wasabi
oil

Combine the tsuyu ingredients and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

In a 10” nonstick skillet, heat ½ tsp of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, rub the pan with a paper towel to distribute the oil and wipe any excess.

Add the egg and tilt the pan so the bottom of the skillet is evenly covered. Cook until the egg firms up, but still looks wet on the surface. Carefully loosen the edges of the egg from the skillet and turn over. Immediately turn off the heat. Wait a minute for it to cook in the residual heat before transferring to a cutting board to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. While waiting, slice the egg round into quarters. Stack the quarters and slice thinly.

When the pot of water comes to a rolling boil, add two servings of somen (they usually come tied in 1-serving bunches). Cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, prepare a dish to hold the cooked somen. Add some ice cubes and water in a large, shallow bowl and set aside.

When the somen is finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Then, using your hands, gently rub the noodles together under running water to remove any excess starch. Drain, then add to the serving dish with ice water.

Pour dashi into small bowls and serve with somen and toppings.

Download recipe (PDF)