Kakiage soba

Step 1: Make the broth: bring 3 cups kombu-shiitake dashi, 3 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp mirin to a simmer in a pan, then keep it warm over the lowest heat. If you skip mirin, add a pinch of sugar.

Step 2: Put ½ onion, ½ carrot and ⅓ oz mitsuba or flat-leaf parsley in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp plain flour until every strand is lightly coated.

Step 3: Heat 3 cm of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 350°F: a drop of batter should sink, then bounce straight back up.

Step 4: Stir 1 ¾ oz plain flour, 1 tbsp cornflour and ¼ cup ice-cold water together with chopsticks, leaving it lumpy. Pour over the vegetables and mix until just bound. Common mistake: making too much batter. You want strands barely held together, not a thick pancake.

Step 5: Scoop half the mixture onto a flat spatula, shape into a loose round and slide it into the oil. Fry for 1 minute without touching, then turn and fry for 2–3 minutes more until golden and crisp and the bubbling slows. Drain on a rack and repeat.

Step 6: Meanwhile, boil 7 oz dried soba noodles in plenty of water for the time on the packet, usually 4–5 minutes, until tender with a little bite. Drain and rinse briefly under hot water to remove surface starch.

Step 7: Divide the noodles between deep bowls and pour over the hot broth. Lay a kakiage on top, add 1 spring onion and a shake of 1 pinch shichimi togarashi (seven-spice chilli), and serve at once while the fritter still crackles.