The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.
I was excited to see this month’s Daring Cooks was something a little lighter than last month’s Cassoulet. Another bonus was that both the soba noodle salad and the tempura didn’t really take much time – I literally whipped up both during a study break and was glad of the light comfort food meal they provided. I recently discovered that my local grocery store carries fabulous soba noodles – both dried and fresh – and this challenge made me realise that I will be purchasing them again, often, because of the endless possibilities they offer – plus, I always find that food like this looks like you have spent so much longer making it than you really have!
I kept it simple with my add-ins…
Although as you can see from the recipe, the possibilities and combinations really are endless…
Recipes courtesy of Globetrotter Diaries and About.com-Japanese Food
Serves 4
Soba Noodles
Ingredients
2 quarts (2 L) water
1 cup cold water, separate
12 oz (340 g) dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)
Directions:
Cooking the noodles:
1. Heat 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.
2. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.
Spicy Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
3⁄4 cup 70gm/21⁄2 oz spring onions/green onions/scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
1⁄2 teaspoon (21⁄2 ml) (4 2⁄3 gm) (0.16 oz) granulated sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon (11⁄4 ml) (1/8 gm) (0.005 oz) English mustard powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) grape-seed oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil (if you can’t find this just omit from recipe.)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – roughly 1/3 a teaspoon of each
Directions:
1. Shake all the ingredients together in a covered container. Once the salt has dissolved, add and shake in 2 tablespoons of water and season again if needed.
Common Hiyashi Soba Toppings:
Thin omelet strips
Ham
Boiled chicken breasts
Cucumber
Boiled bean sprouts
Tomatoes
Toasted nori (Dried Seaweed)
Green onions
Wasabi powder
Finely grated daikon (Japanese radish)
Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
All toppings should be julienne, finely diced or grated.
Prepare and refrigerate covered until needed.
Serving:
Traditionally soba is served on a bamboo basket tray, but if you don’t have these, you can simply serve them on a plate or in a bowl. Divide up the noodles, laying them on your serving dishes. Sprinkle each one with nori. In small side bowl or cup, place 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dipping sauce into each. In separate small side dishes, serve each person a small amount of wasabi, grated daikon, and green onions.
The noodles are eaten by sprinkling the desired garnishes into the dipping sauce and eating the noodles by first dipping them into the sauce. Feel free to slurp away! Oishii
It really did make for a satisfying, yet light, lunch in the middle of a busy study day. I saved the leftovers separately and ate it for dinner the next day too!
As for the tempura, I had never made it before but it looked fairly simple and I happened to have sweet potato (my favourite tempura vegetable ever!) on hand, plus some of the red peppers and some broccoli. It was a little fiddly, for sure, but a welcome break from academic readings. My tempura were certainly not the prettiest but they were tasty – and they tasted right, which is important!
Tempura
Recipes courtesy of pink bites and itsy bitsy foodies
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 cup (240 ml) iced water
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (21⁄2 oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (21⁄2 oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
1⁄2 teaspoon (21⁄2 ml) (21⁄2 gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)
Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice
ie: Sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced, blanched
Carrot, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally
Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced blanched
Green beans, trimmed
Green bell pepper/capsicum, seeds removed, cut into 2cm (3⁄4 inch)-wide strips
Assorted fresh mushrooms
Eggplant cut into strips (traditionally it’s fanned)
Onions sliced
Directions:
1. Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.
3. Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.
4. Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.
5. Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.
Thanks for a fun challenge Lisa – it won’t be the last time I make either of these recipes!
Your results are amazing! Tempura looks so crunchy and delicious. Love the photos!
WOW that looks fabulous your tempura looks perfect great job on this challenge lovely photographs superb work.
Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
Your pictures are gorgeous! I’ve become a soba convert because of this challenge too, I will be trying the sweet potato tempura very soon. Great job on this challenge!
Wow, what a fabulous challenge…it all looks SO delicious! Great job~
I love the simplicity of the pictures.
I had tempura a few weeks back for the first time in a long while. Sweet potatoes and acorn squash. Out of sight!
Jason
Oh acorn squash would be so great!
Love the photos and the process! My oldest daughter has been wanting something “different” for school lunch. I think we can make this and put it in a thermos (sans tempura). Thanks for the idea!
These would be a wonderful lunch dish!
Well I think your tempura looks wonderful – crispy and tasty! And the soba salad looks delicious and refreshing. Great job!
The tempura could have been slightly crispier but I was happy for a first try!
Beautiful pictures, Mardi! And everything looks delicious, but I’m definitely partial to the soba. Yum.
Beautiful photos, Mardi! I am trying really hard not to drool over them 🙂 and now I’m all kinds of hungry!
Wow, that looks so delicious and I’m already hungry for lunch….Great job and great photos.
So funny the different reactions to this challenge, some say it took all day and you make it on a break. I feel the same way about the noodles. So good and easy!
Definitely a new favourite!
Your simple soba salad looks for yummy and refreshing! I love the versatility of the salad, from the ingredients to the dipping sauce…! And your tempura looks perfect. What a great meal for studying! Fabulous work on this challenge, and thank you for sharing!
Any dish that is so versatile is a favourite of mine!
This looks great! I love dishes like this, I will have to have this a try asap!
your challenge looks great. i loved the soba noodles this month, and also made them at the last minute. I think i’m going to stir fry my leftovers for a whole new dish. cheers
Oh yes, that would be delicious and change the dish up a bit!
Well Mardi has given so many freakin’ options, wine selection for this entry is a bit random.
But as a general failsafe, go for something with a touch (or more) of residual sugar…generally will work well with the spices and salts.
My choice? A German (not Alsatian) Riesling…Spatlese or Auslese. (Apologies to German readers for the omission of umlauts – not sure how to get in comments.) If the dish was really spiced up, a Gewurztraminer would do well, though depending on the pick might be too perfumey for my tastes – with this dish.
Or, you know, water if you have to hit the books after you eat 😉
Mr Neil…. love those wine pairing notes…, awesome selection for this dish. Love a little Tempura myself Mardi, nice one.
I’ve never made soba noodles before. These look so healthy and delicious!
Well my next step is to actually make the noodles!
The soba noodles look delicious!
I’m glad I discovered your blog through FFwD. I stopped by today to award you the Stylish Blogger Award to let you know how much I enjoy it. Reading your blog brightens my day. Happy Cooking! Betsy
Thank you so much 🙂
Great job! Your photos are spectacular!
I love tempura but I just cannot do deep frying. So I have tend to head out of tempura instead of making them at home
I am not a fan of deep frying so this was a little challenging. Fortunately I was able to open the window whilst I was frying!
Oishii desu ne!
Such a good dish for our weather right now.
It’s perfect for year round!
The soba looks so simple yet bright and appetizing. I do regret not trying the sweet potato tempura myself.
Sweet potato tempura is wonderful!
Those look yummy. How interesting it uses an English mustard powder. I wonder if you could use Wasabi and still get that same nose-heat…
I am sure you could use Wasabi to kick it up a little.
I love soba noodles. Thanks for sharing.
Looks great and sounds yummy. Congrats on the Top 9.
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I love this. So many cool flavors. The dipping sauce sounds awesome, and I love the idea of the mix and match toppings. Very delicious and beautiful. Congrats on the top 9!
Yes I love the simplicity of the dish but the complexity of the flavours.
Yum! I am totally craving some soba noodles now… 🙂
I forgot how much I like them!
Ohhh I love soba noodles. Your take on it looks great.
the tempura looks beautiful! i admire you for trying something fried like this – i always shy away from frying things – hate the smell the hot oil leaves behind in the house.
Thanks, not a fan of frying myself but it was only a couple of pieces and it was warm enough to have the windows open 😉
It’s ok if you can leave the windows open…
Tempura is the best! And really not so difficult to do at home – I’ll remember your tip about the sweet potato goodness, don’t think I’ve ever had that as tempura.
Sweet potatoes are really good in tempura!
Love your photos, they so clean and clear. Very inspiring