Ingredients
1 lb soba noodles, preferably cha soba or green tea
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
¼ cup mirin
1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 cup sweet soy sauce
½ cup scallions, sliced on the bias
2 tbsp canola oil
½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed
16 pieces shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 tsp black sesame seeds, for garnish
Preparation
In a large stockpot, bring water to a simmer. Add the soba noodles and allow them to cook until al dente.
Drain the noodles in a colander and cool in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain off the ice water then add the noodles to a mixing bowl.
After letting the noodles rest, toss the sesame oil onto the noodles. Using a tong, toss the noodles to coat them thoroughly and set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Boil water in a stockpot and season it with salt. Blanch broccoli florets and sliced carrots for about a minute.
Drain in a colander and allow to cool in an ice bath. Set aside for later.
In a heated skillet, drizzle canola oil. Add shiitake mushrooms and saute. The mushrooms should start to shrink down and caramelize around the edges.
Add the shrimp to your mushrooms and cook until shrimp turns a bright salmon color.
Add the blanched vegetables and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
Throw in the red bell peppers. Add the sliced scallions to the skillet along with the finely chopped ginger.
Pour in the mirin sauce and sweet soy sauce. Saute the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure to coat your ingredients well.
Add the noodles to the skillet and stir to coat noodles with vegetables and sauce. Cook until the noodles are caramelized or golden.
Serve your noodles in a bowl. Garnish with some thinly sliced scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Dig in, and enjoy!
