Friday Afternoon Quick Soba Noodles

Yesterday I returned from another lovely day of teaching teenagers about the structure of atoms which was so much more fascinating for them than the iminent homecoming game or their driving tests next week. Me and the mister had several hours before we rode our bikes over to Bangor's first ever critical mass ride. It was time to whip up something tasty with minimap prep time. Enter soba noodles (100% buckwheat and completely wheat-free!) and the new container of peanut butter sitting expectantly in the fridge. With a big pot of water on to boil, I chopped up some onions nice and fine, as well as some ginger and a little green hot pepper. Into the frying pan on medium heat with some sesame oil (non-toasted) went the diced goodies. I then chopped up some firm tofu into very small cubes and added those to the pan hoping for some nice crispy brown tofu nubbins. Next was some cabbage and broccoli that went into a pot with a steam basket. Once the onions/ginger/pepper/tofu mixture was browning and sweating I added some water, fish sauce and brown rice vinegar. I also filled a cup of water to have handy as my saucy goodness in the pan began to boild down. I then added two heaping wooden spoon-fulls of peanut butter into the pan. At this point I removed the just barely cooked veg from the stemer and plunged them into a bowl of ice water. The soba noodles were then added to the boiling water on the stove and the meal was coming together nicely. With the peanut butter melting into the mixture in the pan I had to keep adding water to keep the sauce at a medium thick consistancy. A little extra fish sauce was also required to keep up the tangy factor. The cold cabbage and broccoli was then squeezed of excess water and I placed the veg in a bowl. I dressed the veg with rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and some chopped dulse sea vegetable. YUM! The soba came out of the pot and into the strainer where I ran the cold water over the noddles. I manually agitated the noddles to keep them separate from each other and let them sid in cold water until ready to be served. Keep the noodles in the strainer and fill the pot with cold water so that the noddles are submurged but easy to remove from the water. I then turned off the heat of the tofu with sauce and added chopped cilantro and scallions. With everything done; cold, crisp veg, cold hearty noodles, and hot, slightly spicy tofu-peanut butter topping, Mike and I were just about ready to eat. I brought out some pickeled carrot and ginger that I just picked up on an outrageously expensive shopping spree at the health food store. We made up our own bowls of goodness and enjoyed two healthy helping each. We were fuled up and ready to ride our bikes!!!





RECIPE

1 1/2 packages Eden 100% buckwheat noodles

Tofu Sauce:
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 table spoon diced ginger
1 medium ionion
1/3 package firm tofu diced in small cubes
1 Tbs. fish sauce
2-3 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1-2 Cups cold water
chopped cilantro and scallions to garnish

Cold Cabbage and Broccoli Salad:
1/4 head of cabbage
1 broccoli stalk
Dulse Sea Vegetable (amount to taste)
Brown rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil to taste

Pickled Carrots and Ginger. Bought commercially

All amounts are approximate.

The idea here is something hearty (the noodles) something rich and a little spicy (the tofu-peanut butter topping), something crisp and salfty (the vegetable salad) and a little something with color that is fermented (the carrot-ginger). Use any hearty noodles, and use tahini or another favorite nut butter instead, alter the spicieness, and use whatever vegetables you have on hand to make a crisp salad. If you don't like dulse or you're not used to sea vegetables add salt of make a miso vinagret. Next time I make a dish like this I will use more dulse in the salad and less peanut butter in the sauce.