Kakitama-jiru & Chilled Soba Noodles

Annoyingly, I've got this sinus thing going on. But, what better remedy for a head cold than hot soup, right? Not to mention some fresh air, thanks to the gorgeously warm, sunny day we had today. (For you non-locals, our temp reached the 50s today and we're expecting the 60s tomorrow! That's practically shorts weather!) So, we threw open the windows and I brewed a pot of kakitama-jiru, with some chilled soba noodles on the side for good measure.

I used the last of my konbu dashi for these two recipes, which kept beautifully in the fridge since I made it Sunday night. As you'll see, the soup has only a few ingredients and the dashi complimented them perfectly. (One last nudge: I strongly recommend you make your own dashi; don't try to replace it with our typical broth.) I ended up with a light, oniony, delectable soup. I didn't create lovely ribbons of egg in my soup, as the picture shows, but that doesn't mean I sacrificed anything in terms of taste. I guess that's an acquired skill and I'll just have to keep practicing.

The chilled soba noodles are dipped in a sweet and salty sauce and some wasabi. Now, if you've never experienced the piercing nasal heat of wasabi, a root related to horseradish and mustard, you really should try it. To be honest, I don't find it to be a very pleasant experience, and much of wasabi's taste gets lost in that heat, but it gets top marks as a homeopathic treatment for ailing sinuses. Wooo!


Cook's Note: These noodles could easily be re-imagined into a cold pasta salad with some extra ingredients, perfect for a summer BBQ.


Each recipe serves up to 4. Here's how I made them:

Noodles:
9 oz (two bundles) soba noodles
¾ cup konbu dashi
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
2 tsp sugar

Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions. Mine took only 3-4 minutes till they were tender and ready to eat. Drain them well and rinse with cold water.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Set the sauce aside to cool. When you're ready to serve the noodles, if they're too warm you can dip them into ice water or run them under more cold water and drain again well. Serve the sauce in side dishes or drizzle over the noodles as desired. Grab a bit of wasabi with your chopsticks or fork before each bite of noodles.

Soup:
4 cups dashi
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions, chopped
1-2 cups snow peas
2 eggs, beaten

In a large saucepan, bring the dashi to a boil over medium-high heat. Just as it's starting to bubble, add the soy sauce, scallions and snow peas. Once the soup comes to a rolling boil, remove it from the heat and stir it briskly so that the hot soup is spinning in the pan but no longer bubbling. Slowly pour the egg into the pot while the soup is spinning so that the egg (ideally) cooks in ribbons. Serve immediately.