#soba noodles

inarizushi and soba

Honey & Ginger Braised Pork w. Soba Noodles

3 pounds pork stew meat (usually from the shoulder), cut into 2 inch cubes
3 – 4 teaspoons sea salt
2 small red onions, halved
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
2 carrots, peeled and trimmed
3 celery stalks, trimmed
2 inch segment of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thick round slices
5 cups water
1 small bunch kale, washed and cut into ½ inch ribbons

http://www.brooklynsupper.net/2013/01/honey-ginger-pork-braise-with-kale/#.U5S7GMsU_IU

Lunch at Nishiki Ichiha in Nishiki Market, Kyoto: matcha soba with mountain vegetable, bamboo shoot and grated mountain potato, and soft-served matcha ice cream on three kinds of Japanese tea flavored caramel popcorn (matcha, houji-cha, and genmai-cha). The two small wooden cylinders aside are spices: shichimi (七味: Japanese seven spices) and sansho (山椒: japanese pepper)

I found mild konbu-majored dashi for the soba, which is often used for noodles with mountain vegetables (could be different in Kanto region). The soft-served ice cream with caramel popcorns was part of lunch set and smaller size, yet a bit too much for me after having soba. You can buy those caramel popcorns either outside the restaurant or on Kyoto Daimaru department store’s underground floor. Especially the genmai-cha flavored has a real refreshing roasting aroma of genmai (brown rice) and ryoku-cha. I personally recommend gennai-cha flavor the best (and I have never seen the flavor at any other shops).

Nishiki Ichiha’s menu with pics
https://nishiki-ichiha.com/menu.html

Nishiki Market
A street lined with around 130 shops selling food. You can take a stand-up meal at some shops.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiki_Market

錦市場にある錦一葉の山菜とろろ抹茶そばとポップソフト（ミニ）。茶蕎麦のお出汁はあっさり昆布出汁。山菜系のうどん・そばではよく見かける（関東はまた違うのかも）。ポップソフトは抹茶ソフトの下に、抹茶・焙じ茶・玄米茶の三種類のキャラメルポップコーンが入っている。ミニだけど、ごはんの後だとちょっと多い。中でも玄米茶ポップコーンは玄米の薫りが香ばしくていちばん美味しい（ついでに他所で見たことない）。店前や大丸地下で買える。玄米茶ポップコーンは個人的におすすめ。

Soba House - Kyoto, Japan.

Car lunch date with bromine (@amanda-future-doctor.tumblr.com)

Sesame Soba with Asparagus and Mushrooms

I find it amusing when I see my image archives and I can immediately recognize the place by spotting some particular details on the picture - soba noodles with gyushabu donburi and German sausages…. Wait, is that a combo of soba and sausages? Then it’s Motosumiyoshi's Nadai Fujisoba for sure!

FRIED BUCKWHEAT NOODLES (Fried Soba Noodles)

(From M/FoMT)

https://www.pccmarkets.com/recipe/soba-noodle-stir-fry/

Ingredients:

• 1 (9 ½-ounce) package soba noodles
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon white pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons high-heat oil
• 1 (10-ounce) package firm tofu, cubed
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen stir-fry vegetable mix OR 4 cups fresh vegetables of choice (onions, bok choy, carrots, broccoli, peppers)

Directions:

1. Boil 2 quarts water in large pot. Cook noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes. Strain and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, molasses, mirin, rice vinegar, salt, ginger, garlic, white pepper and red pepper flakes.
3. Heat wok over high heat; add oil. Add tofu cubes and stir-fry until browned. Add vegetables and cover for 3 minutes. Add cooked noodles and sauce mixture to vegetables and tofu. Stir until coated evenly by sauce. Serve hot or cold.

TEMPURASOBA(Soba Noodle Soup, Tempura Buckwheat Noodles)

(From M/FoMT)

https://www.justonecookbook.com/soba-noodle-soup/

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (4" x 3” = 10 cm x 8 cm)
• 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (1 cup = 10 g)
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 1 Tbsp sake
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp kosher/sea salt 
• 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) (7 oz = 200 g)

Toppings:

• 1 Kamaboko (fish cake)
• 2 frozen shrimp tempura
• 1 bunch komatsuna (or spinach)
• 1 green onion/scallion (or Tokyo negi) (1 scallion = 3" Tokyo negi)
• Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (or Ichimi Togarashi) (See Notes)

Directions:

1. [Optional] Soak kombu in water overnight (if you have time).
   
2. Transfer kombu and water into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil. When it’s almost boiling, remove kombu from water and discard.
   
3. Add katsuobushi and simmer for 30 seconds. Then turn off the heat and let katsuobushi sink to the bottom of pan. Let Katsuobushi steep for about 10 minutes.
   
4. Strain the dashi over a large strainer lined with a paper towel set over another saucepan. Gently twist and squeeze the paper towel to release any remaining dashi into the saucepan.
   
5. Add mirin, sake, soy sauce, and salt in the dashi and bring the soup to a boil. Set aside until warming up later.
   
6. Insert a knife at the bottom of kamaboko to separate it from the wooden board. Then cut the kamaboko into ¼ inch slices.
   
7. Slice green onion thinly and cut komatsuna into 2 inch pieces.
   
8. Boil the komatsuna in salted water. I first boil the hard bottom parts of komatsuna since they take longer to cook. Then add the leafy part later. Once they are tender, take them out and soak in ice water to stop cooking. Drain well.
   
9. Bake shrimp tempura at 400F (200C) for 15 minutes, or according to the package instructions.
   
10. Meanwhile boil two large pots of water (See Note). One for cooking soba noodles and the other pot for warming up the noodles after washing them. Cook soba according to the package instructions less 30 seconds*. Mine says cook for 4 minutes, so I cook 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Unlike pasta, you do not need to add salt to the water.
    
11. Drain the soba noodles and wash the noodles with hand under cold water to get rid of slimy texture.
    
12. Then transfer the soba noodles into the other pot of boiling water to warm up the noodles again. Once they are warm, drain and place them into a serving bowl.
    
13. Pour hot soup over the noodles and place toppings. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi or ichimi togarashi if you like it spicy. Serve immediately.

Notes:

You can use Ichimi Togarashi or Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice)

If you want to save time, just boil one pot of water, cook according to the package instructions (4 minutes), rinse under cold water, and then put the noodles directly into a bowl.

If you have Mentsuyu, you can dilute it with hot water to make a soup broth.

Adjust the seasoning as you like - to make it saltier or sweeter. I intended to bring out good dashi flavor so my seasonings may be too light for some of you.

SOBA NOODLES (Buckwheat noodles)

(From M/FoMT)

https://sweetandsavorymeals.com/soba-noodles-recipe/

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces soba noodles dry
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger grated
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
• ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced

Garnish:

• Green onions
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• Chopped peanuts

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger.
3. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and heat until shimmering, once hot, add the chopped green onions. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds or until just softened.
4. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the noodles and toss until heated through.
6. Garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions and chopped peanuts.