Cold Sencha Soba Sashimi Recipe (20 mins.)

This week we meet again! We are Drool, a community of home chefs who cook, create and connect. A quick recap, this space features weekly recipes that are tea-inspired, each by a different Drool chef/baker. The third droolicious submission this week is Cold Sencha Soba Sashimi by Drool homechef, Andrea Chai.

A refreshing light meal for a hot summer’s day

Recipe Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

16 slices of sashimi – e.g. salmon, tuna
300gm dried cha soba noodles

For Dipping Sauce
Basic Dashi Soy Sauce Concentrate
200ml japanese soy sauce (Japanese brand like Yamasa)
125ml mirin
125ml sake
10cm piece of konbu (kelp)
2 dried shitake mushroom
1 handful katsuo bushi

100ml basic dashi soy sauce concentrate
500 ml brewed green tea

For Garnish
1 lime – cut into wedges
Sprigs of chives – wash and chop finely
Wasabi
Pickled ginger
Flaked laver or nori

Preparation

To make Basic Dashi Soy Sauce Concentrate

1. Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake shitake mushroom and kombu in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and immediately turn off heat.
2. Add katsuo bushi and let mixture steep for 10 minutes.
3. Sieve and let mixture cool.
4. May keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

For Dipping Sauce

1. Add a cup of boiling water to a satchet of green tea and let it infuse for about 5 mins before using.

2. Use 100ml of the basic dashi soy sauce concentrate and combine with brewed green tea. Adjust taste accordingly by adding more tea if it is too salty.

For Soba Noodles

1. Heat 2 litres of water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil and then add soba noodles. Distribute the noodles evenly in the pan, and stir to prevent sticking. Cook according to packet instructions.
2. To test when noodles are ready, pick one out and cut it with fingers – should be tender to the touch.
3. Pour soba into a sieve to drain water and add it to a bowl of ice cubes to keep it cold.

For Assembly

1. Twirl soba around a pair of chopsticks or tongs into the middle of a serving shallow serving bowl.
2. Top it with 4 slices of sashimi.
3. On the side, add some pickled ginger and wasabi and a wedge of lime.
4. Finish off with topping the sashimi and noodles with flaked laver/nori seaweed and garnish with chives.
5. Add dipping sauce into a separate serving cup.

To Serve

1. You can add wasabi to the dipping sauce to mix. Grab some soba with your chopsticks and dip into the sauce as you go.
2. Alternatively, you may pour the dipping sauce over the soba noodles.
3. Squeeze lime over the sashimi and serve.

Itadakimasu!!