Duck Nanban Soba
This dish packs flavor with history. Take the word nanban, which refers to foreign influence in Japanese cooking. But duck is native to Japan, so what’s so foreign here? Back in the seventh century, the emperor issued a decree forbidding meat, and the country followed a Buddhist diet of fish and vegetables for more than a thousand years. Once Japanese started eating meat again in the nineteenth century, they called dishes like duck soba nanban—duck is something a foreigner would eat. It’s a convention that continues to this day.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare an ice bath and place a large pot of salted water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the spinach and cook quickly, 10 to 15 seconds, until bright green. Remove and submerge in the ice bath until cooled. Drain well.
Step 2
Lay a 12-inch-long piece of plastic wrap on the counter and carefully lay the spinach across it to form a 1-inch-thick row about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Roll the plastic over the spinach to create a roll, leaving both ends open. Hold the spinach roll vertically over a sink and squeeze to drain excess water. Cut the rolled spinach into 4 equal pieces. Keep the spinach in the plastic until ready to serve; set aside.
Step 3
Trim the excess fat from the duck breast and discard. Slice the duck into 1/4-inch-thick slices. You should get 12 to 16 slices from a 4-ounce duck breast.
Step 4
Pour 1/2 cup of the broth into a small sauté pan and bring to a boil. Add 4 duck slices to the broth and cook, turning once, for 20 seconds (the center of the slice will be slightly pink). Remove the duck from the pan and repeat with the rest of the duck slices until all are cooked. Keep the duck warm until ready to serve.
Step 5
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until they are tender and cooked through, but not mushy, about 1 minute if you’re using fresh noodles, or 4 to 5 minutes for dried noodles. Drain well.
Step 6
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls and top each with 1 cup of the remaining broth, 1 piece of the spinach (plastic wrap removed), 3 or 4 duck slices, and 1 tablespoon of the scallions.
