On the 7th June 2020 (Sun) broadcast of the TOKYO FM radio program “Sugisaki Hana’s Flower TOKYO” (every Sunday 8:00-8:30).
Sugisaki Hana was answering listeners’ questions about “making udon”.
Sugisaki Hana: 28 years old, Chiba Prefecture, radio name “Strawberry Witch”.
Listener email: Good morning, Ohana.
Sugisaki Hana: Good morning.
Listener email: “I saw an article that said, ‘I made udon by hand using the udon set I received from Hiromi.’
Sugisaki Hana: Thank you.
Listener email: That’s really authentic and amazing!
I’m not good at cooking, so I’m jealous and respectful of Hana, who is a good cook.
How did the udon turn out? Also, what kind of udon did you make?
I’d like to know more about how Ohana makes udon.
Sugisaki Hana: Thank you.
I’m not a good cook at all…(laughs).
Well, it’s like…I’ve had more opportunities to cook during this time.
Until now, I loved “eating,” so I felt like I was “cooking to eat,” but when I was cooking, I realized, “Oh, I like the time I spend cooking, too.”
I’ve been enjoying cooking lately.
But it’s difficult, like…controlling the heat and stuff. Hmm.
I still grate garlic and hurt my fingers a lot…
There are a lot of things I regret…about cooking. Yes (laughs).
…Well, about “making udon,” there was a time when I was really into udon, and from there I put a lot of effort into “making udon by hand.”
At that time, I was appearing on a variety show called “Tuesday Surprise”…and when I was talking about it, Hiromi, who I was co-starring with, said, “If you like udon, I’ll give you a hand-made udon set as a gift.” After the recording, they sent it to the office right away, but I didn’t have enough time to make udon using that big set.
I finally managed to make udon using all the tools a while ago, but…
No. Making udon is really difficult after all.
The longer you let it sit, the softer it gets.
The reason it has to be soft is because you stretch it with a rolling pin…to make a pizza-like dough for cutting, but figuring out how long to leave it for was difficult too… How long should I leave it for? Like.
Also, the salt concentration is completely different in summer and winter! It’s really about twice as much.
I was making it around mid-May, when it was a bit cold, so I was like, “Is it summer? Is it winter? Which is it?” and that was difficult too… (laughs).
Also, I edited the video myself and uploaded it to Instagram.
I realized after uploading it that I was holding a “TV remote control.”
Among the comments I received, there was one that said, “Are you watching TV or a DVD or something?” (laughs).
I wasn’t watching TV, but a DVD on “How to make udon”… I was watching a DVD with rough instructions, so I was watching it while I was doing it (laughs).
It really gave off the feeling that I was “making it at home”…
I felt a bit embarrassed after posting it. Yes (laughs).
…So, as for “What flavor did you make it?”, I made three kinds of soup stock… one was made with “kelp, dried sardines, and bonito,” and the other was a regular “tsuyu.” That soup stock and the other was a light soup made with “chicken and green onions.”
My mother and I ate those three with udon. Yes. That’s how it was (laughs).
Thank you for watching.
But it ended up being a bit too chewy. That’s something I need to reflect on.
It’s difficult… Making udon is difficult after all.
I learned that a difficult journey is essential to making udon (laughs).