Monday, July 16, 2012

Quick Lunch: Japanese cold soba with quail's egg

A refreshing, healthy lunch..

Soba is a kind of thin Japanese buckwheat noodle which can either be served cold with a dipping sauce (in summer) or in a hot broth like a noodle soup (in winter). In KL, we are experiencing a hot weather spell hence I made the cold refreshing version.


Japanese cold soba with quail's egg, grated radish and scallions


I managed to find a bottle of soba tsuyu dipping sauce (no MSG added) from Shojikiya, The Gardens which I could use instantly so it saves more time. The tsuyu should be refridgerated so that it's cold, and you can add one ice cube to it when serving. You can also make your own soba tsuyu (see recipe here).



The soba that I used is the dried Shinshu soba, which is first cooked and chilled in ice water. I chose to serve it with chopped scallions (spring onion), grated radish and a quail's egg, which is mixed into the tsuyu. I semi-cooked the quail's egg by submerging it in boiled water for 6 minutes for a runny egg. You can also add wasabi to your soba, for those who like it with more of a spicy kick.



Japanese cold soba with quail's egg
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
100g dried Shinshu soba noodles
2 quail's egg
2 spring onion, finely chopped (or you can use chives)
4cm radish, finely grated
120ml soba tsuyu dipping sauce (recipe here)
2 sheet nori seaweed, cut into thin strips
2 tsp sesame seeds
Wasabi (optional)

1. Cook the soba noodles according to pack instructions, about 5-6 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Once noodles are cooked, drain and run under cold tap, then place the noodles in ice water. 

2. Meanwhile, put 450ml of water into a 18cm saucepan and bring to the boil. After water is boiled, remove from heat and place egg into the water. Using a cloth/dishtowel, tilt the pan slightly so that the egg is submerged in the water. Cook for 6 minutes and remove from heat and place in the bowl of ice water.

3. Squeeze the water out of the grated radish.

4. To serve, drain noodles and place on a plate or zaru (sieve-like bamboo tray). Garnish with nori and sesame seed. Place quail's egg (top peeled off), radish and spring onion in a separate plate.





5. Using chopsticks, place the content of quail's egg, radish and spring onion into the tsuyu. Pick up a small amount of soba from the tray/plate and swirl it in the cold tsuyu before eating it.




Another variation of the sauce is to add a soft boiled egg into the soba tsuyu dipping sauce.

Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 

*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 11 September 2012.

37 comments:

  1. I love soba! And wow, your food looks like u took them out from a jap restaurant

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  2. I love cold soba, especially during hot days. :D

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  3. I love cold soba....but I love cold somen even more...with a nice cold dipping sauce, grated old ginger and some wasabi for kick...haha =)

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    Replies
    1. I saw the first three comments and thought, "so cute, all also start with i love cold soba" ;P

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    2. Btw I prefer cold soba to cold somen... just a matter of personal preference. Next time gonna try some grated old ginger with my cold soba..

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  4. Lovely! I do like your pretty plate too. :D

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    1. Thanks Kelly, got my plates from one of the shop in Tokyo St, Pavilion :)

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  5. This used to save me during the hot Japanese summers! Love the little quail's egg touch! :D

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    Replies
    1. Quail's egg is quite a common ingredient in the Japanese restaurants here, not sure if it's the same in Japan?

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  6. I love quail eggs...but not cold soba. Not used to eating cold food, I guess - old habits die hard.

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  7. Love soba! I have no qualms eating an entire cold plate on me own! :D

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    Replies
    1. Me too! Didn't wanna pay RM20 to eat it in a Japanese restaurant so make my own ;P

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  8. Yummy! I wasn't used to cold food when I was younger, but now I have learned to eat salads, cold soba, cold udon even! So refreshing! Mich@Piece of Cake

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    Replies
    1. I think Chinese parents usually tell their kids not to eat cold food, right?

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  9. the problem is, quail's egg comes in a bunch and what am i gonna do with the rest of them!

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    Replies
    1. So many things you can do with it, put it in salads, tong sui (dessert), hard boiled or cook sambal!

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  10. It looks just like u r dining in a Japanese restaurant! So nice =)

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    1. Thanks Melissa. You also can do the same, very simple only :)

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  11. looks like a pleasant lunch, but i've always felt that one quail egg isn't enough! then again, since it's supposed to be higher in cholesterol than regular chicken eggs, i guess one is the ideal number, heh :D
    p.s. to contradict the first three commenters, i honestly don't really like soba. heh :D

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    1. Hehehe I don't think it's really that much higher in cholestrol, so feel free to have 2 quail's egg ;P Actually I love eating quail's egg a lot too, the yolk feels much more creamier.

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  12. Wow, this is a very refreshing dish, I can have a big bowl of cold soba with just the dipping sauce. You even grated the radish, great effort! I also use this brand of dipping sauce when I make this dish & in Sydney, we can easily get it from any chinese grocery shop besides the Japanese & Korean grocery shops becoz they are too many asians living here, hahaha!

    By the way, can you tell me where did you get your fresh figs? I have friends who told me that they can't find fresh figs in Malaysia/KL. Did you have them from a restaurant? Pls advise huh! Hugs!

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    1. Jessie, I aye the fresh figs at the champagne brunch last week in The Westin KL. I have never bought them in the stores before, but if I see them, will let you know the location to buy them OK. :) (There are some specialist fruit shops in KL nowadays, maybe they will have them)

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  13. I have the same soba sauce at home :-) What lovely presentation with the sprinkles on top.

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    1. Not only does it present well, the sesame seeds add a nice nuttiness to it.

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  14. Ohhhh I really miss eating that ! It's been so long since I've eaten this simple and refreshing dish ! Actually , inside the fridge , we still have this soba sauce which is already expired ! lol Beautifully presented and I want more than one quail egg ! :D

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    Replies
    1. Hehe you also like quail's egg! I like to make this cos it's easy and much healthier than eating instant noodles.

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  15. Yummmm...it all looks great! Thank you for posting this recipe! Best Recipe Cookbook provide more idea to you .

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  16. It's winter now so I probably don't have the cravings for cold dishes but my goodness, the presentation is fantastic! I thought this was taken in a 5-star hotel restaurant!! Well done babe!! :)

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    1. Mei Yee, thanks so much for the compliment! You really made my day la! Heheh to be compared to 5-star hotel restaurant. LOL.

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  17. I still remember my 1st tried on cold soba I don't know what's the use of the quail's egg >.< Silly me ~~

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