This is technically a pasta recipe, but with an Asian flavor.
Lucy Daum, vegan entrepreneur from Wisconsin, recently cooked dinner for us. Her soba noodles, with shitake mushrooms, leeks, zucchini, and tahini sauce, was delicious, satisfying and different from our usual fare.
We all get into food ruts, and need Other People's Cooking to inspire us. I made a variation of this recipe the next night, and vowed to make this dish regularly.
Ingredients:
1 8 oz pkg soba noodles (buckwheat preferred)
2 - 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, olive oil or other favorite cooking oil
1 leek
1 small zucchini
Two small or one large shitaki mushroom, stems removed for stock
Dulse flakes or toasted nori
For sauce:
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tblsp tahini
2 Tblsp cashew butter
For stock:
2 cup water
2 inch strip kombu
Stems from shitake mushrooms
Directions:
Make the stock with two cups water, mushroom stems and kombu, simmer 10 - 15 minutes
Boil two quarts water to cook the noodles
Meanwhile:
Cut off the tough top of the leek and the stem end. Slice in thin rounds
Slice the mushrooms in thin strips
Saute the leek, zucchini and shitaki lightly in oil
Blend the stock, tahini, cashew butter, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
Add to the sauteed veggies and simmer gently while the noodles cook
Cook soba noodles 5 minutes
Add pepper & salt or soy sauce and more water as needed
Serve over soba noodles, sprinkled with dulse flakes or toasted and crumbled nori
A Few Variations (there are endless possibilities):
Substitute a veggie bouillon cube and a bay leaf for the kombu & mushroom stems in the stock
Substitute 1 cup cauliflower or broccoli florets, frozen peas and thinly sliced carrots, simmered in the stock
Saute one or two cloves garlic, ginger, jalapeno, red pepper
Add a little paprika & cumin to the sauce
Leave out the apple cider vinegar
Garnish with chopped cilantro or scallions
Use different noodles
Serve the noodles in a clear broth with veggies and tofu strips, flavored with 1 Tblsp soy sauce or miso
