A few years ago, a popular noodle shop in Beijing was reported to be sprinkling opium poppy seeds over its noodles with the hope that customers would become addicted to them. This is an interesting marketing strategy, but noodles without opium are quite addictive enough for me. The Japanese wide noodle called udon is the star of this classic suki (variation of sukiyaki) with vegetables, clams, and little pork balls. If you have a tabletop cooker, you can cook the ingredients in front of your guests.
