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
• ½ cup Japanese soy sauce
• ½ cup mirin
• ½ 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 udon broth: Pour water into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the kombu, and let it soak for 20 minutes. Then turn heat to high. When it comes to a boil, immediately remove the kombu with a pair of tongs, and reduce the heat to low. Add the katsuobushi and stir gently. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the katsuobushi.
2. Pour the dashi back into the medium-sized saucepan. Add soy sauce and mirin. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Add the enoki mushrooms, turn off the heat, and cover the saucepan.
3. For the Hot Soba: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pour ice into a medium-sized bowl and cover with water. When water is boiling, add the pea pods. Let them cook until they are bright green, about one minute. Remove pea pods with a pair of tongs and transfer to the ice bath. Let them cool completely, and then drain.
4. Bring the pot of water back up to a boil. Add the soba noodles, and use tongs to stir them so they don’t stick together. Cook until al dente, four to five minutes. Drain when done.
5. Divide the noodles between four bowls. Top each with 1 ¼ cups of broth, and one-fourth of the enoki mushrooms, scallions, pea pods, and watercress. Add a pinch of togarashi to each if you’d like.