Kitchen Venture #5: Cold Soba part 1

It is Summer here in Australia, and I am in Western Australia which is the hottest and sunniest part. So for me who really dislike sweating and being hot, I hate summer here. I escape back home for the period but I never fail to get caught in the last few weeks of it. =(

What I like to eat in summer are usually the cold food like salads, sandwiches, cereal and sushi. So I thought I will post my favourite kitchen venture for you, Cold Soba noodles. I experimented with them in Nov/Dec 2010 and is still obsessed with it. It's always been a favourite order of mine when I go to a Jap lunch with friends.

Since I have done so many versions of it, I thought we would divide it into parts. And part 1 will be the buckwheat soba noodles, not the green tea kind which I much prefer.

There it is. Looks plain here and a huge bowl of it so I just store it in the fridge and eat it whenever I want for the next week. That's the good part about it. You don't have to worry about meals for the next couple of days. You can play around with it using it as the core of the meal. You can heat it up and have it warm. You can throw it back into soup and have a soupy noodles meal! It is MINIMAL FUSS, pretty special and easy to clean up after.

Preparation:

1. Boil a pan of water and you don't have to add salt to it. This is not like pasta. About 3/4 full.

2. When the water is boiling pretty full on, hold the noodles in one fist above the pan and slowly release them, strand by strand or a few strands at a time. Again NOT like pasta where you just throw the chunk in and watch it sink as the water softens them.

3. Once all the strands are in, use chopsticks or fork to swirl them into the waterand make sure they are fully covered. Reduce boiling.

4. Let it cook for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Use a fork or chopstick to pick one strand up to test. Make sure they are cooked through. Switch off fire once you think it is done. Please do not have al dente soba. They DO NOT taste good chilled. Believe me, I tried.

5. Let it sit and cool before draining the noodles dry. You can use a strainer or just pour thre water out carefully. Whichever. And let it cool again so you don't burn your fingers!

6. Once cooled, transfer it into a bowl or container you are storing it in.

7. SESAME OIL!!! I use the Chee Seng brand from Singapore (yes I bring sesame oil in with me back to Aussie). But you can find Yeo's brand in Coles or Woolies or just head down to the oriental shops. Be generous here. Drizzle or pour sesame oil to your heart's content. Put your hands in and toss the noodles. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty here! MAKE SURE all the noodle strands are well coated with sesame oil, if unsure go for more over less. Because if it is less, the end result is NOT pretty. Believe me, I tried. It should sort of glisten with oil...

8. Once you are dizzy with happiness from the yummy smell wafting through your kitchen, cover it with cling wrap or a plate (just cover it), and stick it into the refrigerator. NOT the freezer unless you want soba popsicles! Leave it in the fridge overnight, or if you want it for dinner, make it at lunch or before. This ensures it being all cold and the sesame oil flavour really sinks in.

Tip: I sprinkle fried garlic pieces onto the soba noodles and toss them well. Yums. So that's that. all done. And you can start to play! I will doing the versions next so tuned in for that! =) Follow me on twitter for updates, @mayyb.

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo