Summer Soba (buckwheat noodle) Salad

This Japanese soba noodle dish is a great dish for a summer holiday.
It also has fewer calories than other pasta dishes and is high in vitamins and minerals.
I originally got this recipe from a U.S. based food blogger Marc Matsumoto. (http://www.pbs.org/food/chefs/marc-matsumoto/). If you are interested in his other recipes, check it out! It's very simple to make and you are always asked to make it again.

Ingredients

1 pack extra firm tofu (300-350g)

(Marinating tofu)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

(Salad dressing)

1/4 cup tahini

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

300g dry soba noodles (1packet)

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half (170 g)

1 ripe avocado, cubed

1/2 lemon (squeezed)

1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped

2 tbs black sesame seeds

Method

1. Get tofu out from packet and drain lightly. Slice the tofu into 5-6mm thick squares. Place them in a Ziplock bag and cover with soy sauce and brown sugar. Get the air out as much as possible and seal the bag. Marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes.

2. To make the salad dressing, Whisk together the tahini, water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt and white pepper in a small bowl.

3. Heat a frying pan until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, and then fry the tofu until browned on one side. Flip the tofu and brown the second side. 

4. Boil the soba according to the package directions (it is VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Japanese noodles are cooked differently from most other noodles, such as pasta).

If the directions give a range of times, use the low end of the range, if there’s only one number, boil the noodles for 1 minute less than what the directions say. Drain the noodles and plunge them into a bowl of ice water to chill.

5. Prepare the cherry tomatoes by washing and cutting them in half. Halve, pit, peel, then cube the avocados and sprinkle them with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Pluck the coriander leaves from the stems, and discard the stems (chopped if you prefer).

6. Add the noodles, tofu, cherry tomatoes, avocado, coriander, and black sesame to a bowl and drizzle the dressing on top. (add dressing just before you eat and toss well). Toss all ingredients together and serve.

*It will keep for up to one day in the fridge, but it is best eaten immediately as the noodles will absorb the dressing and get soft.

Takoyaki Balls

Takoyaki is a one of the most popular street food in Japan. Recently, one of my friends who just returned from Japan trip asked me to give him a takoyaki recipe. This recipe is from a one of the takoyaki masters in the Osaka area. According to him, you should never add cabbage in proper takoyaki. I must say, this is the best takoyaki recipe I ever tried.

How to make perfect Takoyaki

Before you make...
Tips:

1. Use good quality flour

2.The ratio of flour and dash (fish stock) is 4 parts flour to 4.5 parts dash (this makes takoyaki crispy)

3. You decide the quantity of ingredients depending on the number of eggs you use. The best quantity is 70g of flour per egg.

4. You can add the baking powder to the mix; it makes takoyaki fluffy and creamy inside. The quantity of baking powder is 3% of the flour you use.

5. Add a bit of sugar and salt, a little bit of soy sauce and skim milk makes the mixture smoother in taste.

6. Use dashi (you can get it at Japanese grocery shop).

7. Cut cooked octopus into 1cm pieces.

8. Tenkasu (crunchy bits of deep fried flour-batter) makes takoyaki creamy and brings out umami. For each takoyaki, add ½ tsp of tenkasu.

9. Benishouga (red pickled ginger), finely chopped and add ¼ tsp for each takoyaki (optional).

10. Add ½ tsp of finely chopped spring onion for each takoyaki (optional).

11. Sakura ebi (dried shrimps). Best to choose small ones. Add ½ tsp for each takoyaki (optional).

12. Never add chopped cabbage!!!

13. Get takoyaki sauce or you can buy okonomi sauce or tonkatsu sauce.

14. Use good quality Aonori (green laver) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Method:

Sift flour, baking powder and add salt, sugar and skim milk into a bowl. Slowly add dashi (measure first, according to how much you make) and mix gently with a hand mixer. It ‘s best, but not essential, to leave the mixture two hours before you cook.

   *Dashi needs to be cooled before added into the mixture.

Crack the eggs (whatever amount you decide to cook, *see the table below) into a bowl and mix with the hand mixer. Add the egg to the mixture and add soy sauce.

The recipe for the takoyaki mixture

quantity	flour	Skim milk	Baking powder	sugar	salt	Soy sauce	dashi	egg
20	70g	1tbsp	½ tsp	1tsp	¼tsp	1tsp	300cc	1
40	140g	2tbsp	1 tsp	2tsp	¼tsp	2tsp	600cc	2
60	210g	3tbsp	1 ½  tsp	3tsp	¾tsp	3tsp	900cc	3
80	280g	4tbsp	2 tsp	4tsp	1tsp	4tsp	1200cc	4
100	350g	5tbsp	2 ½  tsp	5tsp	5/4tsp	5tsp	1500cc	5

How to cook takoyaki

1. If you are using gas cooker, heat it up until your hand feels quite warm when you put hand 10cm above the cooker. It cannot be too hot but cannot be too low heat. Try a few times and find out the best temperature for yourself.

2. Brush oil generously into each hole. You can use sesame oil, canola, corn oil, etc. I use sesame oil. It’s the best to buy one of the special oil brushes from an Asia grocery shop.

3. Once the cooker has heated up, pour the mixture into each hole. Mix well before pouring.It is easier to use a bowl with a spout. Try to fill 90% of the each hole. 

Try not to pour in too much mixture.

4. Put an octopus piece and add another ingredient with a small spoon. Do it quickly otherwise takoyaki might burn.

5. Once the edge of the takoyaki has changed colour, Use a bamboo stick to turn each ball over. If the mixture overflows from the hole, push them into holes using a bamboo stick.

6. Keep turning the balls with a bamboo
 stick and once the balls become golden brown it’s ready.

7. Pick the balls up and place them on a plate. Add takoyaki sauce and sprinkle Aonori or optional mayonnaise .