Recipe - Chilled Soba Noodles

All the recipe's I write up are tried and tested - they are not my recipes but I have used them and I'm attempting to make them as quick and easy as possible. 
              If I can cook it up, you can probably create an art from it.

So here goes, the first recipe - Chilled Soba Noodles with Tsuyu dipping sauce (perfect for a hot day)

The Ingredients;
 Soba Noodles 
Nori Seaweed (Optional) 
Tsuyu sauce (See down below for more details on this) 
Wasabi
Spring Onions 
And that's it :) 


As far as Equipment, you will need;
 A saucepan
 A colander
 A bowl and a Small bowl for dipping sauce (I used a Chinese tea cup, but you can use anything that works) 


IF YOU HAVE PRE-MADE TSUYU SAUCE - SKIP THIS PART 
[Tsuyu Sauce - If you have time/patience/money then you can buy Tsuyu sauce online at Japan Centre or If you live near Greenwich, London then you can find it at a local Asian Wholesalers called Duc Tien, it's slightly cheaper there than online. Ask me if you need any more details. 
 If that's all too much for you, then you can always make your own Tsuyu sauce from readily available ingredients. Here's how: 
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Mirin 
150ml soy Sauce 
250ml Dashi Stock - Dashi stock can be bought or made by boiling Bonito Flakes in water.

Heat Mirin in a saucepan until it bubbles. Once bubbling, add sugar and stir until the sugar disolves. Add soy sauce and keep stiring until just before boiling point then turn off the heat. Here you can wait a few days for the flavours to infuse or just add dashi stock straight away. Your choice (I recommend buying pre-made if possible)]

 Got all that? Good Let's get cooking 


1) Boil some water in a saucepan, once the water is rapidly boiling pop in the Soba noodles. If you arn't sure of the amount of water needed then just make sure there is enough to cover the noodles at all times. Depending on the type of Soda Noodles you have, they should be ready within 4-5 minutes (it will tell you on the packet for more direct instructions) Stir the noodles a couple of times while cooking. 

2) While the noodles are boiling and all you have to do is stir them, we can get started on making the Tsuyu dipping sauce. If you have a pre-made one then make it according to the bottle (often it's 2-4parts water for each part Tsuyu sauce) Essetially you'll need about 2 Tablespoons Tsuyu sauce and 6 tablespoons water (hot or cold. If you have made the one I mentioned above, then this part is done for you :)

 3) Once the noodles are ready, drain them in the colander (keep the drained water in a jug/cup or another pot if you want - we can use it later - if not throw it). Make sure to wash your noodles thoroughly as they will contain quite a bit of starch. Rinse them in cold water until the water turns clear when draining. Should only take a few minutes. 

4) Chuck the noodles on a plate (Buy a Zaru Bamboo dish if you want to be authentic, sprinkle some Nori seaweed over the noodles and mix a little Wasabi and spring onions into your dipping sauce. 

5) Enjoy your meal



That water we saved from earlier can be added to the left over dipping sauce, making a nice little drink to finish off the meal.