Ugh, it was approaching pick-up time from school yesterday and I was hungry and thinking about dinner. I was out and about with a friend in Chinatown and racking my brain for ideas. I asked what she was making and decided on the spot to copy her. She’s pretty handy in the kitchen, so I knew I was not being led down the wrong path…
She confessed that she was using a recipe that she got from here. (I love when people share a recipe with you instead of coming off all chef-like and superior!) So into the grocery store we went.
I love Asian cuisine, as does the rest of my brood. Anything with noodles to slurp is generally a hit around this house. We also have varying meat/veggie preferences here, so serving a big bowl of dressed noodles, with toppings on the side, a la family-style is also a big hit.
I had eaten but never cooked soba noodles (known as buckwheat noodles for the uninitiated), so I was a bit apprehensive. She cautioned about overcooking them and stressed the need for cold water and proper draining to ensure they did not become sticky. Since this is a dish best served chilled (or at least room temperature), over-cooking the noodles is a no-no.
I had some steak to grill and a quick marinade of soya sauce, sesame oil and garlic seasoned it perfectly. Seared, thinly sliced beef, baby bok choy, julienned carrots and sugar snap peas rounded this dish out nicely.
A couple of notes on the dressing for the noodles…
We are trying to curb salt in this house, so I did not add it to the water for the noodles. Also, since the beef was marinaded in soya sauce, I reduced it to about 3 tsps in the dressing.
The verdict? Some liked it, others did not. A house rule of 3 tries convinced two of them that it was worth the effort. One detractor went to bed a little hungry, but that’s another post altogether!
