葛切り (Kuzukiri, Kyoto kudzu noodles)

Name: 葛切り (Kuzukiri, Kyoto kudzu noodles)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 80 g Okinawan black sugar or dark muscovado; 80 ml water; 50 g pure kudzu starch; 110 ml water; 300 g ice cubes

Clear kudzu-starch noodles in iced water with black-sugar syrup

Features:

Kuzukiri is a summer sweet of Kyoto, served most famously in the old tea houses of Gion: a lacquered box of clear, flat noodles floating in iced water, with a cup of dark kuromitsu black-sugar syrup to dip them in. It is eaten in the hottest months as a refreshing afternoon dessert with green tea. The noodles are cool, springy and smooth, with a clean, faintly sweet taste, and the syrup is deep, smoky and molasses-rich. It is naturally egg-free and plant-based: pure kudzu starch mixed with water sets into a firm, glass-clear sheet when it is cooked in a thin layer over boiling water, the starch alone doing the binding. Serve it within half an hour of making it. Chef's tip: buy pure kudzu starch rather than a blend; the common mistake is making kuzukiri ahead, because within an hour or two it turns cloudy and stiff.

Total time: 45 min
Difficulty: medium
Serves: 2

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Ingredients

Serves2

For the kuromitsu

2 ⅞ oz Okinawan black sugar or dark muscovadochopped if in lumps
¼ cup water

For the kuzukiri

1 ¾ oz pure kudzu starch
½ cup watercold
10 ½ oz ice cubes

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Method

0/8 done

Step 1: Simmer 2 ⅞ oz Okinawan black sugar or dark muscovado and ¼ cup water over a low heat for 5–6 minutes, skimming any foam, until slightly thick. Strain, cool and chill.
6 min
Step 2: Crush any lumps of 1 ¾ oz pure kudzu starch in a bowl, add the cold ½ cup water and stir until completely smooth and milky. Strain it.
3 min
Step 3: Fill a wide pan with 5 cm of water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water and 10 ½ oz ice cubes.
5 min
Step 4: Stir the kudzu mixture again, then pour about 3 tbsp into a flat-bottomed metal tray (about 20 × 15 cm) and tilt it into a thin, even layer.
1 min
Step 5: Float the tray on the boiling water for 1–2 minutes, until the surface turns from white to firm and matt.
2 min
Step 6: Push the tray under the boiling water for about 30 seconds, until the whole sheet is clear and glassy all the way through.
1 min
Step 7: Plunge the tray into the iced water, loosen the sheet with your fingers and peel it out. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, stirring before each pour.
12 min
Step 8: Cut the sheets into strips about 1 cm wide, keep them in the iced water and serve right away with the kuromitsu for dipping.
3 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 310 kcal
Protein: 0 g
Carbs: 77 g
Fat: 0 g
Fibre: 0 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does 葛切り (Kuzukiri, Kyoto kudzu noodles) take?: About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?: Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
Is it gluten free?: Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.

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