Soba Noodles with Vegetables in Sweet Soy Broth (Presto Pasta Night # 71)

Last week, I had an Italian recipe. For this week’s Presto Pasta Night, I’m having Japanese. This week's event is being guest hosted by Gay of Scientist in the Kitchen. I bought a pack of Zaru Soba from the supermarket 3 weeks ago and it’s been resting in the kitchen cabinet since then. My plan to make a Japanese dish was obviously enslaved by some form of procrastination. Seeing my daughter increased her appetite for noodle dishes these past few days, pushed me to get this Japanese noodle done. I don’t know if my being a Product Development Specialist for a noodle company influenced my family’s liking for noodle dishes. In some way, probably yes. Thus, it’s typical to find any noodle or pasta dish scrumptiously sitting on our dining table.

Soba is a lightly brown colored Japanese noodle made of buckwheat flour. It is usually served hot or cold and can be prepared in soup or dry. It’s smooth and has a soft-chewy texture which, makes it a kid friendly type of noodles. Because of its neutral taste, it is a good ingredient for healthy recipes. Making fresh Soba Noodles is easy. But there are important techniques to keep in mind too. You can find out here.

As you see from the photo above, I made two versions of Soba Noodles with Vegetables in Sweet-Soy Broth. The one with freshly cracked egg on top is for the adults in the household and the other on the right side, for the kids. The generous serving of vegetables on the kids' bowl is part of my intention to urge them to like vegetables more. The authentic Japanese version of this dish used dashi stock. But since it's prepared primarily for my kids to enjoy, I used meat stock in my recipe.

What you need:

1 300 g pack soba noodles, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup mirin, 4 cups of meat broth, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup julienned carrots, 1/3 cup chopped chinese cabbage, pepper to taste, fresh eggs

How to make:

1. Cook Soba noodles according to package directions. Don't forget to wash it with cold water after cooking to wash away the remaining starches.

2. Combine sugar and mirin in a saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar dissolves.

3. Add the broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.

4. Add the vegetables and let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked just right.

5. Add a handful of soba noodles in individual bowls. Bring in some amount of sweet soy broth (just enough to cover the noodles in the bowl).

6. Crack 1 fresh egg on each bowl while the soup is still hot. Serve immediately.