Shitake Soba Noodle

Ingredients
Soba (Dried noodle)
Shiitake mushroom
Shitake Stock (The water used for rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms)
Wakame
Mitsuba
Soy sauce
Mirin (Or brown sugar)

Soba is very popular Japanese food and can be served both hot or cold. The noodle itself is dairy and animal free however, usually the hot soup and cold dipping sauce contain fish stock and it is the main element of soba dish, so going without fish stock would be very much challenging.

Although soba is recognized fast-food type of food in Japan however at the same time, soba cuisine could be enhanced to the level of art at high-end Japanese style restaurant so there are a variety of ways of approaching to cook this simple meal.

Put shitake in a sauce pan and boil with shitake stock then add salt, soy sauce and mirin then adjust each seasoning to taste. Remove shitake from the saucepan and put aside.

Start preparing your soba according to the package directions. When it done to cook, drain water well then put them into cold water, rinse them briefly and drain well again.

Put the noodles in the soup and heat until just before boiling. Serve with shitake, wakame (boiled briefly) and mitsuba on top.

Tips: To make good shitake stock, put dried shitake in a hot water (120-160F) and leave them about 20 minutes.

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椎茸だしの蕎麦を作りました。先日、テレビで乾燥椎茸を美味しく戻すコツが紹介されていたので、試してみたら確かに美味しいスープができました。乾燥椎茸は水で時間をかけて戻すよりも、50℃〜70℃のお湯で20分ほどの時間で戻す方が味も、風味も美味しくできる様です。鍋に椎茸と椎茸だしを入れて火を通し、塩、醤油、みりんで味を整えます。蕎麦を茹で、茹で上がったら蕎麦を水で良く洗い、再び椎茸のスープを調理した鍋に入れ、温まるまで火を通します。蕎麦を椀に盛り、椎茸、わかめ、三つ葉をトッピングしてできあがりです。