Tempura soba

served chilled

I love slurping on a fat mouthful of noodles and I always look forward to that first big slurp. It’s that slurp that leads to that mad dopamine rush you get from chewing on that big, fat, al dente mouthful of noodles. This dish is very, very slurp-able and provides for major satisfaction. You continue to chew and swallow until you have just enough space to introduce a hot, fried piece of tempura. Fucking brilliant. Bouncy cold noodles and other bits separately or together — whatever your preference you will die of satisfaction.

For this recipe we’re making tsuyu, which is a dipping sauce for the noodles and tempura, which you can keep for a week (but it won’t last long since preparing soba is easy and we found ourselves wanting soba that week - you might too). We’re also cheating and using store bought tempura batter mix. It’s only a few $ and saves you the hassle of making it. If you’re bothered, you can make your own with pantry staples: flour, potato starch, egg, and something cold and carbonated. There’s plenty of recipes around.

A bit about soba noodles

Did you know that there’s different types and flavours of soba noodles out there? A quick primer below — think about experimenting with different types of soba the next time you make a soba dish.

• Hachi-wari soba: is made from 80% buckwheat and 20% wheat. You get a smoother, al dente noodle with less buckwheat flavour profile. I personally prefer this for this recipe because of the great texture. I used Assi soba when I shot this video, and it was very pleasant and delicious.

• Ju-wari soba: is madę from 100% buckwheat. It has a stronger buckwheat profile, and has a less smooth and rougher texture.

• Flavours: some packages of soba also come in green or pink. Green for a slight green tea flavour made with a small amount of green tea powder or pink for a slight ume / plum flavouring.

Some stuff you might need for the recipe btw

• A few bamboo mats to place the cooked noodles on

• Soup skimmer to get rid of the tempura batter flakes when frying

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Recipe

Serves 4.

Watch Supperclub for 2 Episode 18.

Make the tsuyu aka mentsuyu (dipping sauce)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sake

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup mirin, plus 1 tbsp, to taste

• 1 piece kombu (dried kelp)

• 1/2 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the sake to a boil over medium-high heat. Let the alcohol evaporate for a few seconds.

2. Add the soy sauce and mirin. For a touch of sweetness, add an extra tbsp of mirin, adjusting to your taste.

3. Place the kombu and katsuobushi into the saucepan.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mentsuyu to cool completely.

5. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and discard the solids.

You can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week if you don’t guzzle it down at dinner.

Prepare the tempura

Ingredients

• Packet tempura mix.

• Assorted vegetables and proteins. We used:

  • 1 small Japanese squash, sliced 1/2 cm thick.

  • 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced.

  • 1 handful of chrysanthemum (aka crown daisies).

  • 8 prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact (to prevent from curling up, score their underbelly with a small pairing knife).

• Neutral oil, for frying.

ⓘ If you’re serving a group I’d also recommend tempura-ing mushrooms (enoki, Shiitake, Shimeji), capsicum and shishito peppers, shiso leaves, lotus root, carrot, potato, onions, white fish, baby octopus, squid.

Method

1. Prepare tempura batter as per package instructions.

2. Pat all ingredients dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Arrange in cooking order: squash, eggplant, chrysanthemum, and prawns.

3. Heat oil in a deep pot to 180°C (350°F). Check with a thermometer or wooden chopsticks (small bubbles should form around the tips).

4. Dip each ingredient into the batter, letting excess drip off for 1–2 seconds. Gently place in the hot oil without crowding the pot (ingredients should cover no more than half the oil surface area).

   • Fry squash slices for ~2–3 minutes until golden.

   • Fry eggplant slices for ~1–2 minute.

   • Fry chrysanthemum leaves for ~15–30 seconds.

   • Fry prawns for ~2 minutes.

5. Transfer cooked tempura to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Between batches, remove crumbs from the oil to prevent burning.

Preparing the soba

Ingredients

• 4 bunches dried soba noodles (1 bunch per person)

• Shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori)

• 6 tbsp homemade mentsuyu above

• 1.5 cups iced water

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Add the soba noodles, spreading them in a circular pattern to separate them. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook according to the package instructions until the noodles are JUST tender. Avoid overcooking.

3. Drain the noodles in a sieve and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water, rubbing gently to remove excess starch. This step is crucial to keep the noodles from sticking.

4. Shake off excess water and transfer the noodles to a bowl of iced water. Let them chill for 30 seconds before draining well.

To serve

Ingredients

• 2 green onions (scallions), finely chopped

• Wasabi (optional)

• The soba noodles

• The tempura

Method

1. Place bamboo mats or sieves over individual plates to catch any water draining from the noodles. Arrange one portion of soba noodles on each mat and top with shredded nori.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the mentsuyu and iced water in a 1:3 ratio (6 tbsp mentsuyu to 1 1/8 cups water). Adjust to taste — add more water if it’s too salty or more mentsuyu for a stronger flavour.

3. Divide the dipping sauce into individual cups. Serve alongside the soba noodles.

4. Arrange chopped green onions and wasabi on small plates for garnish. Let each guest add these to their dipping sauce as desired.

5. Serve with the fried tempura!

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