Soak the dried mushrooms overnight or for at least an hour in hot water. Don’t discard the liquid. Take out the rehydrated mushrooms and remove the stems. Thinly slice the caps to add to the fresh mushrooms for sautéing.

Thinly slice or separate the fresh mushrooms. Heat a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms. I don’t add oil at this point, I just add the mushrooms (both fresh and rehydrated) to get a nice sear around the edges and draw out any excess moisture.

Once the mushrooms have a nice sear, move the mushrooms to the side of the pan. Add some oil. Once hot, add the minced ginger and cook until aromatic, around 1 minute. Mix the mushrooms into the ginger mix.

Add the hon mirin and soy sauce. Allow the liquid to evaporate and mix well to coat the mushrooms. Taste the mushrooms and season with more soy sauce, if needed. Finish with ground while pepper and mix well. Remove from the pan and set aside.

On the same pan, heat oil to coat the pan. Once hot, add the thinly sliced tofu. Sprinkle salt and togarashi or Japanese spice blend. If using regular extra firm tofu, add some soy sauce, to taste.

Once the tofu get a nice brown on one side, flip over and repeat for the remaining side. Set aside.

Heat a medium pot of water. Once it boils, add the noodles.

Cook until chewy to your liking. Drain the noodles and run through water.

Heat a medium sized pot. Once hot, add the mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Add the shiitake mushroom broth from the soaked mushrooms.

Cover the pot and allow the broth to come to a boil. Lower and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Season the broth with yondu umami seasoning or more soy sauce, to taste, if desired. You can also add some sugar to add sweetness.

Transfer the noodles to a bowl. Pour boiling hot broth over the noodles. Top with the mushrooms, tofu, green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and togarashi. Serve while hot and enjoy!