Quick Lunch: Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

A refreshing, healthy lunch..

Soba is a kind of thin Japanese buckwheat noodle which can either be served cold with a dipping sauce (in summer) or in a hot broth like a noodle soup (in winter). In KL, we are experiencing a hot weather spell hence I made the cold refreshing version.

Japanese cold soba with quail's egg, grated radish and scallions

I managed to find a bottle of soba tsuyu dipping sauce (no MSG added) from Shojikiya, The Gardens which I could use instantly so it saves more time. The tsuyu should be refridgerated so that it's cold, and you can add one ice cube to it when serving. You can also make your own soba tsuyu (see recipe here).

The soba that I used is the dried Shinshu soba, which is first cooked and chilled in ice water. I chose to serve it with chopped scallions (spring onion), grated radish and a quail's egg, which is mixed into the tsuyu. I semi-cooked the quail's egg by submerging it in boiled water for 6 minutes for a runny egg. You can also add wasabi to your soba, for those who like it with more of a spicy kick.

Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

100g dried Shinshu soba noodles

2 quail's egg

2 spring onion, finely chopped (or you can use chives)

4cm radish, finely grated

120ml soba tsuyu dipping sauce (recipe here)

2 sheet nori seaweed, cut into thin strips

2 tsp sesame seeds
Wasabi (optional)

1. Cook the soba noodles according to pack instructions, about 5-6 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Once noodles are cooked, drain and run under cold tap, then place the noodles in ice water. 

2. Meanwhile, put 450ml of water into a 18cm saucepan and bring to the boil. After water is boiled, remove from heat and place egg into the water. Using a cloth/dishtowel, tilt the pan slightly so that the egg is submerged in the water. Cook for 6 minutes and remove from heat and place in the bowl of ice water.

3. Squeeze the water out of the grated radish.

4. To serve, drain noodles and place on a plate or zaru (sieve-like bamboo tray). Garnish with nori and sesame seed. Place quail's egg (top peeled off), radish and spring onion in a separate plate.

5. Using chopsticks, place the content of quail's egg, radish and spring onion into the tsuyu. Pick up a small amount of soba from the tray/plate and swirl it in the cold tsuyu before eating it.

Another variation of the sauce is to add a soft boiled egg into the soba tsuyu dipping sauce.

Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 11 September 2012.