Cha Soba or Cold Soba

Vegetarian Cha Soba has been on my To-Do List for more than a year, finally I cooked it few days back. Procrastination has been holding me back, it isn’t difficult at all, I just don’t know why.

For a vegetarian or vegan version, we need to cook the cold sauce or dipping sauce rather than get the ready-made sauce. I didn’t have Japanese Soy Sauce and mirni, I just make do with light soy sauce and cooking rice wine (omit the cooking rice wine, if desired). It was still yummy. For the left over ingredients, just use to a side dish – Seaweed Salad.

This dish is good for buffet or party food as you can prepare in advance. I remember seeing this dish at Equinox Hi-Tea Buffet, cold soba in a tea cup garnished with nori and spring onion, and the cold sauce in kept in a teapot – very presentable.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients
° 100g cha soba, blanched and chilled in ice water
° finely shredded toasted nori, for garnish
° finely chopped spring onion (optional), for garnish

Cold Sauce
° 8 dried kelps in knot
° 2 dried Chinese mushroom or shiitake mushrooms
° 2 thin slices ginger
° 375ml water
° ¾ -1 tablespoon sugar
° 30ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) or light soy sauce, or to taste
° 30ml mirin or 10ml cooking rice wine

Method
1. To prepared the cold sauce: place the dried kelps, mushroom, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in sugar, shoyu, and mirin and simmer for 1 minute. The remaining stock is about 250ml. Discard the ingredients and set aside or chilled.
2. Divide the cha soba among 2 individual serving plates. Garnish with shredded nori and spring onion.
3. Serve with cold sauce.