Yaki soba (grilled buckwheat noodles)

Start by sauteeing onions, garlic, leeks, whatever your fancy with some warm spices, such as mustard seed, black pepper, cayenne, or togarashi, which is Japanese 7 pepper spice.

Add cabbage, you can add lots because it really reduces as it cooks and then set aside (or if you don't make a lot, you can do the next step right in the same pot). Add some tamari/shoyu and a dash of orange juice to give it some body.

Put some strained boiled buckwheat noodles (which take about 4 minutes from start to finish) into the pan (with oil.. unrefined please) and stir, with more spices if you like.

Crack some eggs right into the noodles and give 'em a stir-stir. They'll sorta scramble right in as you mix the noodles, you can add a little more heat with some cayenne, or coolness with shoyu in this step too if your dish is a little weak. The yang of the spices and yin of the tamari really bring out the subtle flavour of the veggies and soba noodles.

Once cooked, add (if not already added) it all together and eat!! Use chopsticks, it's more fun that way.

This is a very popular Japanese dish, except in Japan they use ramen type noodles (but still called soba), TONS of salt, pork and less cabbage - and far more soya and spice. It's good too, and very cultural, but I prefer the healthier option of which I am presenting to you!

Buckwild Sesame Soba Noodles

I am on a buckwheat soba noodle kick right now!  Buckwheat is a wonderful way to obtain your Bs; B1 and B2.  Some of the nutrients go into the water when cooking soba, so add some of the cooking liquid to your sauce.  This noodle dish is made with black sesame paste (tahini), if you can find it, it is wonderful and more nutritious than its paler counterpart.  I like the darkness of this dish, almost black in color, I want to put it on my head and wear it like hair!  Well, it is probably better to eat it than wear it.

Cook the buckwheat soba noodles in boiling water until al dente (tender firm), strain, run under cold water until noodles are hot but still warm.  Set aside.

For the sauce:

3 Tbsp black sesame tahini or light tahini

1 Tbsp almond or cashew butter

1 tsp agave nectar or honey

2 Tbsp brown rice vinegar

2 Tbsp shoyu soy sauce or tamari

1 tsp unrefined toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp water (cooking liquid)

Combine all ingredients for sauce until it is a smooth paste, adjust flavors to your liking.

Stir sauce into the noodles, top with shredded carrots, scallions, sesame seeds and shredded nori.

Spicy for your noodle!

This soup is so yummy and has a bit of a kick, so adjust this to your heat level.  I went to a Thai restaurant recently to have some soup and there was a note at the bottom of the menu that said, 'all dishes spiced to your testes'.  Okay, I am assuming that is a typo, but then I looked around and found that there were only men eating in the restaurant... coincidence? hmm, strange.   

for the broth:

put 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1 dried shiitake mushroom, 1 piece of kombu seaweed, 2 slices of fresh ginger and a splash of tamari in a soup pot.  Simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

cook soba noodles until al dente in rapid boiling water, about 5 minutes, check often.  Drain and rinse under cold water until noodles feel like they are room temperature

for omelette:

dissolve 1 tsp mello miso with a little broth to form a paste, stir in one egg and one egg white and chopped scallions.  

heat 2 tsp of ghee or butter in a skillet and pour egg mix, tilt pan to cover bottom of pan and cook until just done, fold eggs over until it looks like a roll.  Remove from heat and cut into thin slices on a cutting board

Just before broth is done simmering, place 1 tsp of gojuchang (korean hot pepper paste) in the pot and dissolve, stir in chopped greens; such as spinach, watercress, bok choy, sliced snow peas or snow pea shoots until just wilted.

Spoon broth into bowls add cooked buckwheat soba noodles, top with sliced omelet, chopped cilantro and a few drops of unrefined toasted sesame oil!

This soup can stand a lot of improv, you can go without the spicy paste and just have a nice gingery broth, substitute any green of your choice, put in some shredded daikon (japanese radish), try some mushrooms like enoki or shiitake, use diced tofu, or any meat of your choice.  It is really limitless, guide your soup with your taste buds!

Sweat and enjoy!