A collection of 75 recipes from James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi for both traditional and inventive hot and cold Japanese noodle dishes. Combining traditional Japanese influences, French technique, and more than 20 years of cooking in the Midwest, James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi introduces American home cooks to essential Japanese comfort food with his simple yet sophisticated recipes. Emphasizing quick-to-the-table shortcuts, the use of fresh and dried packaged noodles, and kid-friendly dishes, Takashi explains noodle nuances and explores each style's distinct regional identity. An expert guide, Takashi recalls his youth in Japan and takes cooks on a discovery tour of the rich bounty of Japanese noodles, so readily accessible today. Takashi's exuberance for noodles ranging from Aje-Men to Zaru is sure to inspire home cooks to dive into bowl after soothing, refreshing bowl. "A wonderfully talented chef." --Chef Eric Ripert "Noodle fans with a stocked pantry will find plenty to slurp about." -- Publishers Weekly “Noodle fans with a stocked pantry will find plenty to slurp about.” —Publishers Weekly   Takashi has “given us what’s become a rarity—a cookbook that is equal parts timely, useful, and pretty.” —Chicago Magazine * A collection of 75 recipes from James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi for both traditional and inventive hot and cold Japanese noodle dishes. * Showcases Takashi's knack for blending innovative techniques with local ingredients and noodle styles like ramen, soba, udon, somen, and rice noodles--plus complimentary appetizers and distinctly Japanese interpretations of pasta. * Takashi's eponymous restaurant was recently voted Best New Restaurant by Chicago Magazine . HARRIS SALAT writes about food and culture for Gourmet, the New York Times, Saveur, and other publications. He lives in New York. TAKASHI YAGIHASHI opened Takashi's in Chicago in 2008, following successful ventures at Ambria, Tribute, and Okada at the Wynn. He was named the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest and one of America's 10 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine. Takashi is a member of the Macy's Culinary Council as well as the Japanese Culinary Cultural Association of America. He lives with his family in Chicago. THE AUTHOR SCOOP Tell me something that other people might not know about you.  I love to play guitar. If you had a superpower, what would it be? To always have a peaceful mind. What's the oddest food you've ever eaten?  Dried Sea Cucumber Ovaries (a very expensive and rare delicacy). What's the meaning of your name?  Takashi (Dragon) Yagihashi (Willow Bridge). Favorite cocktail?  Yuzu Lemonade What is your favorite sandwich? Fried Pork with cucumber, lettuce, mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce. What's the best way to spend a rainy Saturday morning? Making noodle soup. Introduction From hand-cut soba to a hearty bowl of ramen, Japanese love their noodles. I'm no exception. This book will introduce you to my country's comfort food, from traditional preparations to modern twists, including Italian pasta, Japanese style. It will explain the varieties and flavors of these versatile dishes, and guide you to vibrant-sometimes surprising-ingredients. And in the pages that follow, I'll share personal recipes inspired by my two decades cooking here in America. All the recipes in this book are delicious dishes you can cook at home. Just ask my family. I grew up in Mito, Japan, a small city 100 miles northeast of Tokyo near the Pacific Ocean. Back then, in the 1960s, my hometown was surrounded by rice fields and vegetable plots-and the farmers personally delivered their bounty by motorcycle. The rumble of engines announced their arrival to my house each morning, with a crate lashed to the rear rack overflowing with just-picked eggplant, daikon, carrots, and greens. These deliveries-fish and handmade tofu, too-were so frequent that my mother didn't own a refrigerator! My passion for noodles started early. We were lucky enough to live on a block with two family-run noodle restaurants, both a 5-minute walk from my house. This was a godsend to my hardworking parents, both busy accountants-so we ate plenty of fresh noodles during the week. I attended elementary school with the kids from one of those places, the Azuma-an soba shop, which cultivated my taste for noodles even more. Playing at their house after class meant stepping into the noodle version of the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, since their living quarters were attached to the restaurant in the traditional Japanese style. I still remember staring awestruck at cooks portioning long sheets of fresh soba dough with monstrous knives and tossing the strands into gurgling pots large enough for me to bathe in. As I got older I started cooking for myself after my studies. The very first dish I ever prepared was noodles-but Ihave to admit they were the instant kind. In high school I took a job