Cold Soba + White Oyster Mushrooms

This recipe is courtesy of our friend Olivia over at IG: @liv_3kurtz

Chilled noodle dishes are great to make when you’re looking to satisfy your appetite and cool down during the warm summer months. This particular recipe of cold soba is a Japanese dish and features beautiful buckwheat noodles that are rather quick to cook. They provide a distinct flavor that seamlessly matches with gently cooked white oyster mushrooms. The sauce includes other standard Japanese origin pantry ingredients, such as rice wine vinegar and fish sauce. These lend a zippy, bright flavor that’s needed to round out the creamy and positively bitter notes from the tahini. Garnishing with green onions and sesame seeds delivers another layer of contrasting textures and flavors. Be sure to give this one a try when you’re soaking in the summer sun! 

Cold Soba and White Oyster Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

• 2 bundles (6.2 ounces) of authentic Japanese buckwheat soba noodles, such as Hakubaku
• 1# R&R white oyster mushrooms, left whole or sliced into smaller pieces depending on preference  
• Sauce 
• 2 tbsp. liquid aminos
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. chili oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. tahini
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Green parts of 2 scallions, thinly sliced, optional garnish 
• Sesame seeds, optional garnish 

Recipe Steps 

1. Start by making your soba noodles so you have the opportunity to cool them down before serving the dish. Over medium-high heat, bring one to two quarts of water to a boil. Once actively boiling, drop in your dry soba noodles and stir to ensure they all fall below the water.
2. Follow your package’s directions for how long to cook the soba – usually this process takes five to eight minutes. Make sure you’re satisfied with the texture before pulling them as they’ll firm up ever so slightly when they cool down in the fridge. 
3. Drain and rinse with cold water or add them to a bowl of cold water with ice to shock them (this stops them from cooking further). Store drained noodles in a container in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients. 
4. To cook the mushrooms, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a heaping tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add your white oyster mushrooms and stir to evenly distribute the cooking oil. Cook on a gentle medium heat for 15 minutes until they’re very tender, stirring frequently. Remove them from the heat and hold in the fridge to cool down while assembling your sauce. 
5. To make the cold soba noodle sauce, whisk together all of your ingredients in a small bowl. If your sauce is breaking, try adding a splash of warm water or more liquid aminos until a cohesive sauce forms. 
6. Once your soba and mushrooms are chilled, remove from the fridge and mix the two together in a large bowl along with your tahini sauce. 
7. Plate your cold soba noodles in bowls and top with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!