On those really hot, humid NYC days, all I want to eat is something refreshing and light for lunch. Especially on those workdays where I haven't prepped anything to grab out of my fridge, I need to be able to make a something quickly before I run to my next appointment.
Enter zaru soba: a dish comprised of cold buckwheat soba noodles, to be dipped in soba (soya) sauce. Some restaurants will also add shaved ice, ginger, and wasabi in the soba sauce to add some flavor and keep the noodles cold.
I made a few twists to the classic to accommodate what I had on hand to make life easier. The avocado made an appearance due to its slim window of ripeness- I still have yet to try properly freezing them.
Summer Zaru Soba Noodles
Ingredients
*single-serve
1 Bundle (~2oz) of Organic Buckwheat Soba Noodles
1/2 cup of Soba/Soya Dipping Sauce
1/2 Medium Cucumber
1/4 Avocado
Handful of Dried Nori Seaweed
1/2 tsp of Black Toasted Sesame Seed
Sprinkle of Dried Red Pepper
Recipe
1. Bring water in a medium-sized pot to boiling.
2. While waiting for water to boil, slice cucumber into sticks, and slice avocado
3. Drop soba noodles in boiling water and slightly reduce heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
4. Remove noodles from heat, drain in a mesh strainer, and rinse under cold running water. Drain once more.
5. Put cold noodles in separate bowl, and top with cucumber, avocado, nori, and season with sesame seeds and dried red pepper.
6. Pour soba sauce into a side bowl for dipping, and serve!