Cold soba with natto

In Yokohama, there is one of the biggest scale China-towns in Japan(map) where there are mainly Chinese restaurants and shops. It's fun to find a different food and buy different spices, teas and sweets.

It surprises me that the streets don't smell like China-towns in other countries or even real China. I think that's because they changed their cooking style for Japanese preferences, which is amazing! How adaptable Chinese people are!

After having lunch at the China-town, I felt like simple Japanese noodles in a different way. Let's cook cold soba!

Ingredients:

soba

wakegi or spring onion

natto

soy sauce(2tsps)

sugar(1tsp)

mirin(1tsp)

soup (dried fish or konbu)

1- Make the sauce. Cook 1/2 cup of soup with soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Cool it down.

2- Stir natto with a bit of soy sauce. Cut the spring onion finely.

3- Boil the soba. Wash it with a cold water and drain. Put the natto, spring onion and 1 on top.

This time I used the green tea soba so it looks green. But usually it's gray...

Itadakimasu!

Warm soba

Today, the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry of Japan warned public facilities like restaurants or stations not to allow smoking inside. However, the warning doesn't hold any strict penalty so it'll be left to the judgment of the facilities' owners in the end.

In Japan, some restaurants and cafes have a separated smoking room, but there are still many places that have no system to protect non-smokers from smoking, which is lagging behind the rest of the developed world.

It's difficult to find a right place to relax. When I have to eat or drink tea in a smoky environment, I feel anger to pay for the place that destroys my health and my relaxation time.
Also I feel very nervous when I see a smoker walking outside. It involves the risk of the ash flying into my eyes, hair and clothes, and the cigarette touching my body.

Today's cooking is a simple, warm and tasty soba. For a long time already in Japan, udon and soba have been eaten in a simple way to enjoy their natural taste.

Ingredients for two serves;

soba

age (fried tofu)

carrot

chicken

soy sauce (1tbsps)

salt

mirin [Japanese sweet wine] (2tbsps)

soup -from dried bonito and konbu (3cups)

1- Boil the soup with soy sauce, salt, mirin, the finely cut age, carrot and a bit of chicken (just for its stock). Adjust the taste with salt.

2- Boil soba and wash it with the cold water.

3- Put 1 through the hot water again, drain the water and move it into a bowl.

4- Put 1 into 3.

Itadakimasu.