This creamy, silky pasta gets salty pops of flavor from fish roe. Paul Qui uses mentaiko (spicy marinated pollock roe), but trout roe or even caviar would be delicious, too.
1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie (see Note)
3 tablespoons mentaiko (see Note)
2 teaspoons spicy sesame oil
Two 3-ounce packets dried yakisoba or instant ramen noodles, flavoring packets discarded
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
One 7-ounce package enoki mushrooms, bottom halves discarded and top halves coarsely chopped
2 large scallions, thinly sliced
4 shiso leaves, stemmed and finely shredded (see Note)
1 large sheet seasoned nori, shredded
In a bowl, gently stir the mayonnaise with the mentaiko, sesame oil and 1/2 cup of water.
In a large, deep skillet, combine the noodles with the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderately high heat until the noodles are softened and the broth is nearly absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the grapeseed oil, then stir in the mushrooms and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is completely absorbed and the scallions are softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mentaiko sauce and cook, tossing, just until the noodles are evenly coated. Garnish with the shiso and nori and serve.
