Don't be scared of cold noodles. You eat pasta salad, right? Besides, is this not the most beautiful meal ever? It takes less than 10 min to prepare. The Japanese usually serve cold soba with a side of tempura, but I ate it with some grilled asparagus instead. Not only are the noodles easy to digest (making for excellent carb loading before a long run) but they are made out of buckwheat flour... which contains fiber and protein.
This serves 2. Or if you are hungry and a bottomless pit, like me, serves one. Still has just 360 calories so eat the whole damn thing already!
Ingredients:
2 bunches Soba (buckwheat) noodles, dried
Bonito soup flavoring, enough for 1 cup *
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
Wasabi paste
Sesame seeds (optional)
Dried salted seaweed (optional)
Cook the soba noodles as directed in the package, usually for 5 minutes. Do not let them overcook. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water until they are cool. Set on a plate and garnish with sesame seeds and seaweed, if desired.
Mix enough soup base for 1 cup of cold water and add the chopped green onion. If you are using vegetarian soup base in powder form, mix it to 1 cup of hot water and throw in a few ice cubes to cool it down.
Before eating, add a small dime sized amount of wasabi paste on the side of the bowl and mix it well with your chopsticks. Dip the noodles into the soup before eating. And before you think this sounds like an odd dish, I can assure you IT'S DELICIOUS.
*Bonito soup flavoring is sold in Asian markets or in large supermarkets with an asian section. It comes in a bottle, and you usually add about 1-2 tbsp to one cup of water. If you can't find bonito soup flavoring, use another light soup as substitute. I've used vegetarian chicken flavoring and it still tastes great.
