Otsu Soba

Otsu Soba
Serves 4, 15 min
On days that I work, I don't get to eat dinner until I get home (around 10-11 PM). So the last thing I want to do is cook myself something that will take forever or keep me up too late from being too rich. Luckily, I came across this recipe online, originating from a small restaurant called Pomelo. It's a buckwheat noodle salad thats easy to make, full of flavor, light on the stomach and wallet. I didn't have a blender so after grating a few of the ingredients, I put the sauce in the microwave for 50 seconds so the honey was warm enough to mix with the rest of the ingredients.


Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils
2.Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3.While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4.In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the 1/4 cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about 1/3 cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.