Soba Soba Everywhere

I am counting down the days until my CSA delivery begins (sadly, it is still two months away) and have been scouring the farmers markets for any glimpse of green.  Miniscule bunches of ramps seem to be the only thing going at the moment, and as much as the professional food community seems to rhapsodize over them, I really don't see what all the fuss is about.  Perhaps they are yearning for green even more than I?

So to quench my yearning for food reminiscent of warmth and sunshine, I turned to my loot from my trip to the fabulous Katagiri and was drawn instantly to my stash of soba noodles.  They struck me as clean and healthy, exactly what I am searching for this time of year.  And since it was marginally warm today I opted for cold noodles.  I even was able to scrounge up some green by cracking open my package of wakame seaweed.

And to offset the austerity of the noodles themselves I dressed them quite liberally with a soy and vinegar dressing.  If you are feeling fancy some sesame seeds strewn over the top would be lovely.

Cold Soba Noodles With Wakame

Serves 1

3 ounces soba noodles

1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon mirin

1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder (optional)

1 teaspoon black vinegar (optional) 

Bring pot of water to boil.  Add soba noodles, cook until al dente, approximately 4-5 minutes.  A minute before noodles are cooked, add wakame seaweed to the pot to soften.  When noodles and seaweed are ready, drain and run cold water over noodles to stop cooking.

In the meantime, mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.  Toss with cold noodles and seaweed and commence eating.