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This simple and fragrant soup is filling and beautiful to see. So pure and so digestible--it's great for lunch on days when you want to heartiness of these white monster noodles and the refreshing brace of the sea at the same time. Not to mention great for dieters. Serve hot in ovenproof bowls to 4 as a meal.

• 1 pound udon noodles ((futonaga--fat and long)
• 1/4 cup dried Wakame seaweed, soaked in 2 cups of cold water for about 10 minutes, discarding the liquid
• 6 cups dashi, seasoned with 2 Tablespoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons mirin

Garnish: sprinklings of shichimi (a 7-spice mixture with inactive marijuana seeds in it!) or crushed red pepper and thin slices of leek (Japanese negi)

Pour cold water over the dried wakame and let soak for 10 minutes.

Cook the udon noodles as follows (sounds complicated, but it's not): bring a really big pot of water to boil. Add the noodles bit by bit, stirring, so they don't stick to each other. Bring to a rolling boil, then pour in 1 cup of cold water. Allow to return to a rolling boil, then pour in a second cup of cold water. Again, allow to return to a rolling boil, then pour in the third cup of cold water. Taste for the noodles to be firm but cooked through. Likely you'll want to repeat with a fourth cup of cold water. When the noodles are al dente, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 10 minutes. (At the end of this time, drain them, rinse them in cold running water, and scrub them against each other by hand to remove all the surface starch. Drain, rinse, and let sit til you're ready to assemble the soup.)

Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer.

To assemble the soup:

1. Divide noodles into the 4 large bowls (preheated in the oven).
2. Arrange the wakame on top of the noodles.
3. Season the dashi with soy sauce and mirin and pour it equally into the bowls.
4. Sprinkle the tops with thinly sliced leeksl.