Sesame Soba Noodles

The Asian cultures take great time and effort to prepare for the Lunar New Year.  Families spend extra time together cleaning the home and organizing personal affairs and business - to remove what is no longer necessary and make way for new.  Then comes the celebrations and feasts. Foods served for as apart of Asian/Chinese New Years are symbolic and rich in meaning. Mandarin oranges for good luck, fish for fortune, mochi for happiness and noodles for longevity.

A tradition in the Japanese culture, soba noodles are often eaten around the Asian New Year. This simple sesame noodle recipe is fabulous eaten slightly chilled during a hot summer day. You can use soba or udon noodles, whichever you prefer. I use tahini - sesame seed paste - to add body to the sauce which is traditionally made with peanut butter.

Ingredients

• 8 oz soba (buckwheat noodles) or Udon noodles

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

• 2 Tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter

• 3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

• 3 Tbsp ume plum or rice wine vinegar

• 1/2 -1 cup bancha or kukicha (roasted twig) tea

• 1 tsp chili oil

• scallions

• black or white sesame seeds

• 1, 1-inch piece nori trimmed

Instructions

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain and quickly rinse with cold water to stop their cooking.

2. While pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium bowl using a wooden spoon combine garlic, peanut butter, tamari, maple syrup and vinegar. Mix in tea about 1/4 cup at a time. The sauce will thicken, continue adding in tea until it thins out so that you can pour it. Pour sauce over noodles and gently combine with wooden spoon until noodles are well covered. Serve garnished with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, chili oil and a few slices of nori.

Recipe Notes

Primary season: Spring and Summer