Zaru Soba

There's nothing worse than being in the heat of summer, too hot to even eat a hot dinner. That's the perfect time to try out this recipe! Soba (a Japanese buckwheat noodle dish) is served cold in the summer and is a delicious way to cool down. 

Zaru Soba

How to make dashi: 

Place a large square of kombu (kelp) in a pot of water.

Bring to a slow boil, and just before it boils, throw in a handful of katsuobushi flakes,

Simmer for about 10 minutes, and then strain out the flakes and kelp.

For the dipping sauce:

2 1/2 cups dashi

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 c. mirin (rice wine, sort of like sake)

1 tsp sugar

1 oz dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)

Soba Noodles:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Drop in the soba noodles and stir

When the water starts to foam and looks like it will bubble over, pour in a cup or two of cold water.

Repeat this process one more time, and then drain the noodles. 

Rinse with cold water to chill noodles.

Possible garnishes (either on top of the noodles or in the dipping sauce):

Chopped green onion

Finely grated daikon radish

Wasabi 

Finely cut nori (seaweed) sheets

Sesame seeds

To eat: 
Dip and swirl soba noodles in the sauce and slurp away!

Zaru soba with sunomono, a cucumber salad (picture found on google)