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1
Whisk 20 g hon-kuzu starch into 120 ml cold water until fully dissolved and no lumps remain. The mixture should pour as a slightly runny, milky batter. Prepare one batch per person, working in rounds, or scale as the pan allows. The batter must be used immediately — do not allow it to stand, as the starch will settle.
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2
Lightly oil a flat pan or shallow tray with neutral oil. Set over medium heat. Pour the kuzu batter in a thin, even sheet approximately 3 mm deep across the base of the pan. This is where the dish lives or dies: the layer must be no thicker than 3 mm — too thick and the centre will not set evenly; too thin and the noodle tears on cutting. Cook without disturbing for approximately 60 seconds, until the sheet turns from white-opaque to fully translucent. Remove from the heat the instant translucency is complete.
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3
Slide or lift the set kuzu sheet onto a lightly oiled surface or tray. Chill until cold but not below 5 °C — excessive cold causes starch retrogradation and a grainy texture. Once chilled, cut the sheet into noodle-width strips. The finished noodles should be firm yet slippery, with a clean jelly-like resilience when pressed lightly.
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4
Fill each clear glass bowl with cold water and ice. Lower the kuzu-kiri noodles into the water. The noodles should hang translucent and distinct in the cold water — the visual clarity of the noodles suspended in ice water is itself the aesthetic statement of the dish.
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5
Present the kuromitsu and kinako separately at the table. Drizzle kuromitsu over the noodles and dust with kinako at the moment of service, not before. The layered aroma on pouring — caramel-mineral from the kokuto syrup, roasted-earthy from the kinako — should register immediately at the table.