A Chefy farewell to the Summertime that comes together in 20 minutes! Cold Soba has always been a favorite of mine and is always a pleasure to eat.

For something that looks so complex, this Cold Soba Noodles in Tomato Water With Dipping Sauce only takes about 20 minutes to put together. My friend Michael Behn (@moshiknivesatl) came by a few weeks ago to help cook up this tasty tribute to the end of the summer!!!

Keep in mind that with dishes like this, you can really mix up and play around with the types of vegetables that you. Here, we’re also using young ginger for this which has a juicier and less spicy taste than regular ginger, but either will work great.

Since this soba has a dipping sauce, you don’t have to serve the noodles themselves in a liquid but we had some super ripe heirloom tomatoes on hand so decided to strain out some tomato water which ended up tasting was super savory! Note: Strain the tomato water twice through a coffee filter or cheese cloth for much more clear results and use the ripest tomatoes possible.

We also made a quick dashi (kombu broth) from scratch for our dipping sauce’s base but feel free to use instant dash (hondashi) if you prefer. Note: If making your own dashi, be careful not to let the mixture boil too aggressively, it will impart more bitter flavors. Add your katsuobushi (bonito flakes) at the end, with the heat turned off and for a short amount of time (30ish seconds is plenty).

Making a quick herby oil is another fun trick and is a really fun and ‘chefy ingredient’ as Michael would say (Full article on that right here!). It’s 100% not necessary for this recipe so don’t sweat it if you don’t want to make it but it is an impressive finishing element is you’re looking to treat someone. It’s also very easy to produce and will last you a couple of weeks in the fridge!

Below is the full recipe and step by step instructions for this, along with a recipe mod to make this vegan and a social video!

Cheers,

Joey

Youtube Video:

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Full Recipe:

Cold Soda Noodles in Tomato Water With Dipping Sauce

A Chefy farewell to the Summertime that comes together in 20 minutes! Cold Soba has always been a favorite of mine and is always a pleasure to eat.

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Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Course: lunch

Cuisine: Japanese

Calories: 544

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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Main Ingredients:

• 2 portions of soba noodles about 2 quarters diameter worth
• 1 qt tomatoes roughly chopped into chunks, the ripest you can find.
• 1 English cucumber one half cut julienne and the other half cut into thin circular slices.
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes one half cut into very thin slices and the other half quartered.
• ½ cup scallions one half cut julienne and the other half minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
• ice cubes to keep cold in your bowls

Dashi Ingredients

• 1 piece kombu roughly a 4×4" piece, doesn't need to be exactly this size at all
• 1 piece dried shiitake mushroom
• ¼ cup katsuobushi bonito flakes
• 1 scallion bottoms the scallion scraps essentially for added flavor, optional
• 1 qt water

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 cups dashi instant or homemade, see note above
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp ginger micro grated
• salt to taste

Green Herby Oil Ingredients:

• 1 batch fresh parsley rough chop
• 1 cup avocado oil Or enough to submerge the parsley in your blender. You can also use another neutral oil like vegetable oil.

Method

 

Make your tomato water:

1. Add your tomatoes to a high powered blender and blend on high until fully blended. Strain mixture through a coffee filter or cheese cloth. Note: Strain this way twice for super clear liquid.

Prep your other veggies:

1. Season circular sliced cucumbers lightly with salt and sugar and set aside in a small bowl. Prep Scallions and place the julienne cut scallions in a small bowl with ice water. Set aside.

Make your dashi:

1. If making homemade dashi, combine water, kombu, shitake, and scallion bottom (if using) is a small sauce pan and bring to a bare simmer for about 5 minutes. Skim any foamy gunk that collects on the water’s surface. Cut the heat and top the mixture in the pan with katsuobushi. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and then strain and set aside. Note: Be careful not to let the mixture boil too aggressively, it will impart more bitter flavors.

Make your green herby oil:

1. Blanch parsley in 1 qt of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove from the water and submerge directly in an ice bath to help shock the parsley and help it retain it’s bright color. Dry by laying out flat in between two pieces of paper towel. Add the parsley to your blender along with your oil and blend on high until well combined. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter or cheese cloth. Note: You can keep this oil in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Make your dipping sauce:

1. Mix together your dashi, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced scallions and ginger. Season to taste with salt.

Cooking your soba noodles:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a roaring boil. Salt the water and stir to combine. Cook soba as indicated on packaging (usually about 4-5 minutes). Strain and place soba directly in an ice water bath to let cool off.

To assemble and serve:

1. Place 1 tsp of herby oil in the center of 2 bowls. Place the noodles on top of them (split between the 2 bowls). Garnish each bowl with sliced and quartered tomatoes, julienne cucumbers and seasoned cucumber slices. and scallion curls. Pour tomato water into each bowl, leaving the surface of the noodles uncovered. Garnish with a light drizzle of green herby oil, sesame seeds and a few ice cubs to keep it cold. Serve with dipping sauce in a bowl beside it, dipping each bite as you go.

Nutrition

Calories: 544kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 22gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 3802mgPotassium: 987mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1057IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 172mgIron: 5mg

Notes

• For a vegan/vegetarian version, omit the katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• For l fuss’ version, omit the herb oil.
• You will have a TON of green herby oil left over after this since you’ll only need a few tablespoons for this recipe. Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or two and add it to whatever dishes you like for a little color pop and extra flavor!

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!