Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles - Cha Soba

Cha soba -is a thin Japanese soba noodle infused with green tea or “ocha” or “cha” for short. It is made of buckwheat flour or “soba-ko”, wheat flour or “komugi-ko”, and the addition of green tea. The green tea is what gives cha soba noodles its light green color. Traditional soba noodles are typically grey-brown in color.

The addition of green tea adds a subtle yet elegant flavor when compared side-by-side with traditional buckwheat, or soba, noodles. During the hot and humid summer months in Japan, cha soba is especially refreshing when served chilled, and the subtle flavor of green tea takes this dish to another level.

Chilled cha soba is enjoyed by dipping the noodles in a savory soy sauce and dashi based sauce. There are several varieties of pre-made and bottled soba noodle dipping sauces available at Japanese super markets or Asian markets in the West. This convenience makes it very easy to prepare a Japanese noodle dish at home for a quick lunch or dinner.

Chilled cha soba noodles may be served with a variety of garnishes. For example:

* Kinshi tamago (finely shredded slices of Japanese egg crepes or omelette)
* Julienned cucumbers
* Sliced cherry tomatoes
* Spinach, cooked
* Wakame (cooked kelp or seaweed)
* Sansai (cooked Japanese mountain vegetables)
* Kinoko (variety of mushrooms, sautéed)
* Yamakake (grated Japanese mountain yam)
* Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums)
* Tenkasu (crunchy pieces of fried tempura batter)
* Natto (fermented soy beans)
* Daikon oroshi (grated Japanese daikon radish)
* Kizami nori (finely sliced seaweed)
* Shiso (chiffonade of perilla leaves)
* Scallions, finely sliced
* Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

While its somewhat untraditional, if you’re interested in adding meat, shredded chicken is a great compliment to cold soba noodles. Another popular protein often enjoyed with noodles in Japanese cuisine is duck meat or kamon.

Ingredients

1. 1 7-ounce package dry cha-soba (green tea soba noodles)
2. Water for boiling noodles
3. Ice cubes, optional
4. Garnish ideas: sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, kinshi tamago, natto (fermented soy beans). See above article for additional garnish ideas.
5. Japanese horseradish (wasabi)
6. Green onions, chopped
7. Thinly sliced seaweed (kizami nori)
8. Dipping sauce, (pre-made and bottled soba sauce or homemade)

Prep Time: 15 minutes   Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes   Yield: 3 servings

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