How to Cook Assorted Tempura With Soba Noodles
Serves: 2
Cooking time: 25 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins
Ingredients needed to make Assorted Tempura With Soba Noodles:
For the noodles:
- 5 oz soba noodles
- ¼ nori sheet, finely sliced
- 1’’ fresh ginger root, julliened
- 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally
- Sesame oil, as required
- Dash of mirin
- Large pinch of seven spice chili powder or scichimi (available at Asian grocery markets)
For the tempura:
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 1 yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped into 1’’ pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped into 1’’ pieces
- 1 courgette, chopped into 1’’ pieces
- 1 tsp black poppy seeds
- 3 ½ oz plain colour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- Vegetable oil, for frying5 fl oz sparkling water, chilled
For the dipping sauce:
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- Juice of a lime
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Cooking instructions for Assorted Tempura With Soba Noodles:
- Drop the noodles in a stockpot of boiling water and cook over moderate heat for about 5-6 minutes; drain and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the spring onions, nori sheet and ginger julienne to the noodles and a add a splash of mirin over them.
- Drizzle the sesame oil over the ensemble and toss them all together until well mixed; sprinkle a dash of seasonings to taste and set aside.
- To make the tempura, sift a mixture of flour and cornflour into a large bowl and stir in the poppy seed.
- Season with a dash of salt, give it a nice stir and set aside.
- Drizzle oil in a deep-bottomed pan; check the heat of the oil by dropping few breadcrumbs, if they sizzle and brown, the hot oil is ready.
- Pour sparkling water into the above dry mixture and whisk them into a smooth batter.
- Dip the veggie and chicken chunks to the batter and let any excess of it dripping down.
- Lower them carefully into the hot oil and fry them in batches, for a couple of minutes or until they turn light golden in colour.
- Drain them off with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl, lined with paper towel to soak away any excess oil.
- To make the dipping sauce, whisk all its ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Arrange a bed of noodles on the serving plates and top it up with shichimi.
- Place the fried tempuras over the noodles and serve along side dipping sauce.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
