HOT SOBA

Hot Soba image

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 12

Hot Soba Broth
5 cups Dashi (page 40)
1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup stemmed and halved enoki mushrooms
Assembly
12 pea pods, trimmed
14 ounces dried soba noodles
2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced on an angle
2 sprigs of mitsuba leaves, chopped
Pinch of ichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper flakes; optional)
Pinch of salt

Steps:

To make the broth, combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the enoki, cover, and turn off the heat. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To assemble the dish, prepare an ice bath and place a large pot of salted water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the pea pods and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pea pods and submerge in the ice water. Drain.
Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the soba noodles, stirring with a fork or chopsticks to make sure the noodles don't stick together. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through but al dente. Drain.
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Top each with 1 1/4 cups broth, one-fourth of the enoki mushrooms, scallions, pea pods, and mitsuba leaves, and a pinch each of ichimi togarashi and salt.