arame soba
2 portions — 40 minutes
We cook a lot of Japanese-style food, not just because we lived there for a few years, but because we appreciate the subtle flavors and aesthetics of Japanese cuisine.
Soba: In this recipe we used pre-packaged buckwheat noodles (そば soba), but it is possible to prepare from scratch using a 1:0.5 mixture of buckwheat and whole wheat flour. Making juwari soba 十割そば (100% buckwheat noodles) is very difficult to master, and is best left to the patient and the experienced, qualities we do not yet possess.
Arame: Arame is a species of kelp of a dark brown color, it has a mild, semi-sweet flavor and a firm texture. Arame is reconstituted in about 5 minutes, and we like to add to many kinds of dishes. It is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium and vitamin A. This recipe used to include hijiki, but we've since removed it because it contains potentially toxic quantities of inorganic arsenic. Japan is the only country that doesn't warn against its consumption. Arame seaweed doesn't share this toxicity, and is a good substitute in both texture and taste.
aramehandful
soy sauce30 ml
sake30 ml
mirin30 ml
natural brown sugar5 g
buckwheat noodles2 portions
sesame oil2.5 ml
carrots1
garlic2 cloves
tempeh60 g
sichuan peppercornsTo taste
main
- Put handful of dried arame in a bowl and cover with a cup of water. Let re-hydrate for at least 5 minutes, drain.
- In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together: 30 ml (2 tbsp) of soy sauce, 30 ml of sake, 30 ml (2 tbsp) of mirin and 5 g (1 tsp) of natural commercial brown sugar. Keep aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 2 portions of soba (buckwheat noodles) and give them a quick stir so they go underwater. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain, rinse and transfer to a pot of cold water. Wash the noodles using your hands to remove the excess starch, drain and place in a bowl. Then, toss noodles with 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) of sesame oil.
- Julienne 1 carrot, chop 2 cloves of garlic and cut 60g of tempeh into small cubes.
- Heat a pan with a drizzle of sesame oil at medium heat and sautee the 2 minced garlic cloves for a minute until fragrant. Add the tempeh as well as the julienned carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the tempeh and carrots are cooked, then turn off heat and add cooked soba noodles and the arame. Stir until noodles are well-coated.
- Season with some sichuan pepper.