Hot Soba

Ingredients

• For the soba broth:
• 5 cups water
• 1 large piece of kombu, approximately 10 by 4-inches, or about 1/2 ounce total, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups packed katsuobushi, dried bonito flakes
• 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup enoki mushroom, ends trimmed, halved
• For the hot soba:
• 12 pea pods, trimmed
• 14 ounces dried soba noodles
• 2 scallions, ends trimmed, both green and white parts thinly sliced at an angle
• 2 sprigs watercress, chopped
• Pinch of togarashi

Directions

1. For the broth, add the water to a medium-sized saucepan and drop in the kombu. Leave it to soak for 20 minutes, then set the pan over high heat. As soon as the water boils, lift out the kombu with tongs and turn the heat down to low. Stir in the katsuobushi gently and let the broth simmer for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, and discard the katsuobushi.
2. Return the dashi to the medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin, raise the heat to high, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add the enoki mushrooms, then turn off the heat and put the lid on the pan.
3. For the hot soba, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a medium-sized bowl with ice and add water to cover. Once the pot is boiling, add the pea pods and cook them until their color turns bright green, about 1 minute. Use tongs to move them into the ice bath, let them chill completely, and drain.
4. Bring the same pot of water back to a boil. Add the soba noodles, separating them with tongs so they do not clump. Cook until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes, then drain.
5. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle 1 ¼ cups of broth into each bowl, then add one-fourth of the enoki mushrooms, scallions, pea pods, and watercress to each serving. Finish each bowl with a pinch of togarashi, if you’d like.