Cold buckwheat noodle dishes like this are a summertime treat in Japan. The creamy texture of soft tofu is critical to this dish, so avoid the firmer varieties.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (250 g) Japanese buckwheat (soba) noodles

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh spinach, trimmed

• 1 pkg (10 oz/300 g) soft tofu, drained and cubed

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

• 2 tbsp thin strips nori (optional)

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 piece (about 4 inches/10 cm) dried kelp (konbu)

• 1 cup bonito flakes

• ½ cup mirin

• ⅓ cup sodium-reduced soy sauce

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp sake

Directions
1 Soba Sauce: In saucepan, soak kelp in 2 cups water for 15 minutes. Bring just to boil over medium heat; remove kelp and discard. Stir bonito flakes into water in pan; simmer for 6 minutes. Add mirin, soy sauce, sugar and sake; return to boil. Strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve into heatproof measuring cup; let cool completely.

2 Meanwhile, in saucepan of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well; shake. Set aside to air-dry for 10 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, in covered skillet, steam spinach with ¼ cup water, stirring occasionally, just until wilted. Drain in colander; press out water.

4 Toss together noodles, spinach and about 1 cup of the soba sauce; divide among 4 bowls. Top with tofu; sprinkle with green onions, nori (if using), and sesame seeds. Serve with remaining soba sauce, adding
as desired and tossing to coat.

Makes 4 servings.

Tip: The noodles, tofu, dried kelp, bonito flakes and nori are easy to find at Japanese markets. Many other Asian markets and some supermarkets carry them too.

Nutrional information per serving: about 369 cal, 20 g pro, 4 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 64 g carb, 6 g fibre, 0 mg chol, 918 mg sodium, 725 mg potassium. % RDI: 22% calcium, 44% iron, 106% vit A, 18% vit C, 92% folate.

Also, try these...
Chicken peanut noodles
Sesame noodles
Stir-fried noodles with pickled ginger

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Excerpted from Canadian Living: The International Collection by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen. Copyright © 2011 by Transcontinental Books. Copyright © 2011 by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen. Excerpted by permission of Transcontinental. All rights reserved.