Practice JLPTMeaning
餺飥 (ほうとう, Hōtō) is Hoto — a Japanese food (soups and stews).
What is Hoto?
Hōtō is a noodle soup and popular regional dish originating from Yamanashi, made by stewing flat udon-like noodles and vegetables in miso soup. The dough for the noodles is kneaded by hand and stretched out to dry. It is then folded over and cut into large pieces with a kitchen knife. In comparison to udon , hōtō requires a tougher dough, brought about by the amount of gluten, and the dough is not mixed with salt or left to sit. One peculiarity is that the noodles do not need to be parboiled; they are boiled raw along with the other ingredients. Most hōtō noodles also are wider and flatter compared to udon . The dashi (soup base) for the misoshiru is made from niboshi (small fish that have been boiled and dried), which are often left in the soup in home-cooked meals. Many believe that the best taste comes from boiling pumpkin in the miso soup until it becomes tender and melts into pieces. Vegetables differ by season. Negi, onions, and potatoes are commonly included during the summer, while taro, carrots, and Chinese cabbage make up the winter ingredients, along with various types of mushrooms such as shītake and shimeji . Pork or chicken can be included by preference. In terms of nutritional value, hōtō provides large amounts of starch from the noodles and potatoes, and vitamins and fiber from the soup and vegetables. Though it is a hearty meal on its own, it can be served with white rice in the same manner as miso soup. Some restaurants will serve hōtō with very thick, heavy noodles in large iron pots to bring about a voluminous feeling reminiscent of nabemono and other hot pot dishes.