Hōtō

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Hōtō (ほうとう) is a noodle soup from Yamanashi, Japan. It is made by stewing flat udon noodles and vegetables in miso soup. Though hōtō is a type of udon, locals do not consider it to be an udon dish because the dough is prepared like dumplings rather than noodles.

The nearby prefectures of Nagano, Shizuoka, and Gunma have similar noodle dishes served with soy sauce. They include okkirikomi, nibōtō, and others. More recently, such hōtō culture has been promoted to encourage profit from tourism.

There are many different stories about the history of hōtō. In the old days, in Yamanashi, rice fields were replaced by mulberry fields, to grow silkworms. Then, cultivation of wheat become popular and dishes which use flour developed. In all of the dishes, hōtō was economical because it used many vegetables and stock. Also, its taste was good. Therefore, hōtō spread throughout Yamanashi.

First, knead flour with a little water in a bowl. Then spread the dough with a stick. Fold the dough and cut widely. You do not need to let it sit, or add salt. Nowadays, you can buy hōtō noodles around Yamanashi prefecture. The soup tastes like soybean paste. Adding pumpkin paste into the soup is popular. The stock is made from dried small sardines. The main ingredient is vegetables. In summer, leeks, onions, potatoes and so on are used. In winter, pumpkins, taro, carrots, napa cabbage and so on are used. Sometimes pork or chicken are used.

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