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I’ve described a similar “matcha soba salad” before, but it’s so easy and so good, and I’ve been making it so often, that I just can’t help myself. Here is what I do:
- put a big pan of water to boil the noodles
- root around in your fridge, and pluck out whatever vegetables you find
- chop them up and saute in some olive oil, ghee, or butter (or a combo of all three). Season to your liking with plenty of good salt and pepper.
- While the veggies cook, add the soba to the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain, and thoroughly rinse with cool water (this reduces the considerable starch of soba so that the noodles don’t clump together)
- Gently combine the soba and the veggies. You may wish to tart it up with some umami by adding a splash of Bragg’s amino acids (or, you can achieve increased umami by adding some pulverized shiitake and/or pulverized dried tomato to the veggies as they cook), or make it tangy by adding some citrus zest and juice or a small drizzle of your favorite vinegar. Top with fresh herbs for the full effect.
I’ve made this with every conceivable vegetable: Chinese long beans, broccolini, cauliflower, edamame, sweet peppers, habaneros (yes!), lotus root, all the winter greens. It’s that versatile. Give it a shot! You can buy matcha soba in most Asian markets, but certainly all Japanese markets have it. Not expensive — I think it’s a little over two bucks for a pack of three servings.
But do the noodles really taste like matcha? No, they don’t. They’re just pretty, and it’s somehow comforting knowing there’s matcha (albeit a lower food-grade matcha) in them. If you really want to taste matcha in this dish — and you should! — top it off with matcha salt.
And speaking of matcha: I’ve written to just about every company in Japan that makes the really good stuff, asking for samples so that I can conduct some blind tastings. It’s been extremely educational (not to mention fun). Some are sublime beyond belief. I’m currently striking a deal with the blind-test winner to make me a special blend that will be called (what else?!) “breakaway matcha” that I want to share with anyone who’d like to try this remarkable and ridiculously healthy tea. Stay tuned for more on this very exciting development!
I do this! but I usually make it with regular soba, and add flaked smoked fish — salmon, trout, unagi, whatever. (: It's delicious. I make my own soba noodle dipping sauce and then just toss it with the salad.
I also do something similar with whole-wheat pasta and homemade pesto, often adding smoked turkey, smoked fish, or bits of cubed cheese along with the veggies. I particularly like fontina for this.
Looking forward to your matcha tea. I make a great quick drink that takes healthy matcha into the not so healthy "sometimes food" category, but it's good. 1 cup boiled water, 1/2 tsp matcha, 1 Tbsp high quality cocoa powder, 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk. Hot or cold it's great. It's kind of a twist on the coffee milk tea popular in Hong Kong, but with cocoa.
That's brilliant, Leanne — oh man. Popping with umami!
And Carol: that's really wild, must try!
I still haven't tried these Bragg's amino acids that anyone seems to be using in the US! Maybe I will next time I'm over there. Pity they don't taste like Matcha (what about adding some Matcha?). They look pretty and surely very tasty anyway.
It's really a pretty great product, though I'd love to know how, exactly, they make it. It's essentially liquid umami.
It looks so healthy and tasty, Eric! Do you always make it vegetarian? What meat/protein do you suggest for this dish?
Thank you dear M! No, I don't always do vegetarian — I often toss in a little (cooked) fish, as Leanne, above, suggests. It works with smoked salmon, absolutely, and her suggestion of unagi is inspired. Sometimes I toss in some soft tofu, too, for protein. But most of the time it's veg….
I love soba noodles. I always have them at home just in case I start to become hungry. I love it with almost anything else. They're easier to eat than pasta. Congratulations in advance about the special blend matcha with your signature name – breakaway.
this one i will definitely try…vegetarian , of course… and looking forward to seeing what tea news you bring us…
will definitely try this for lunch – as for the tea – we're looking forward to trying your special blend – is the winner an Uji tea?
Thanks Divina, Jan, and Cara. The winner is a Nishio tea. Uji teas are the best-known matchas, but I found the Nishio tea really extraordinary, no hints of bitterness (or, god forbid, fishiness, which was surprisingly common), almost sweet. Pure manna. It's almost unbelievable how good you feel after drinking this tea! I'm actually asking the company to tweak it for me, to custom-blend three matchas to form the breakaway blend — crazy color, sweet tones, rich, very espresso like. I'm VERY excited about it!
Elliot & Yoko are here this morning and they want to know what region is Nishio from? We can hardly wait to try the new blend!
Nishio in the mountains about an hour by train south of Nagoya. Surreally good stuff. I can't wait to get this matcha train rolling!