Spicy Soba Noodles with Fried Tempeh

Here on the east coast of the US, we have been hit with some unbelievably cold, snowy weather. This yummy soba dish is a perfect addition to your diet, and will not only warm your toes but the cockles of your heart. It is easy to make and fantastic for a simply yet satisfying lunch. Enjoy! Love Chef Mel x

Spicy Soba Noodles

For sauce
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup shoyu

Juice of half an orange

Grated orange rind
A generous dash of Shichimi

2 tablespoons mirin

For noodles
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
4 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 to 9 ounces soba (buckwheat noodles)
1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 block tempeh

Preparation:

Place the tempeh into a small pan. Cover with water, and add a dash of shoyu and some sliced ginger. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove tempeh and spread one side with mustard. Cut the tempeh into bite size pieces.

Place about an inch of safflower oil into a small pan and heat on a low flame. Turn the flame to high just before use.

Deep fry the tempeh until golden. Only place about 6 pieces in the oil at a time and fry for a few minutes. Remove and place on a serving dish. Sprinkle the deep fried tempeh with shoyu.

Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients for the noodles together and set aside.

Heat the oil in skillet over medium-high and add the ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shiitakes and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender and starting to brown.

Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the cabbage and most of scallions (reserve about a tablespoon for garnish) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is crisp-tender. Add the sauce and simmer 2 minutes.

While cabbage is cooking, cook soba and edamame together in a pasta pot of boiling until the noodles are just tender.

Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to stop cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the sesame seeds and vegetable mixture. Serve sprinkled with reserved scallions and deep fried tempeh.

Option: you can use pan fried or steamed tofu instead of the tempeh.