Contemporary zaru soba with mango and avocado

Zaru soba is a traditional Japanese side dish made during the summer months. It is typically paired with lightly grilled fish for a light meal.

This dish is a contemporary version of the Traditional zaru soba I published yesterday. The dish is light and has all the traditional flavour profiles of the original. However, mango adds a light, fun, and tropical flavour. The dish's presentation is more like soup rather than a dipping dish, moving away from the traditional dipping origins of the dish. The avocado adds creaminess, and the grated radish is a standard in Japanese cuisine, completing the flavour profile. This version is lighter, sweeter and fun to eat. Is it better than the traditional version? No, I believe there is a place for both, depending on the day and meal you are serving.

This is a wonderful book for one-dish meals, including pho, ramen, Korean bibimbap, salads, and rice bowls from across Asia, as well as couscous and exotic grain bowls from the Mediterranean and Europe. The bowls are perfect for any occasion. I go to it often when I want a great single-dish meal.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the dashi:

2 2-inch squares kombu

2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked overnight in 1 cup water or hot water for 1 hour

1 quart water, including strained mushroom soaking water

For the stock:

1/2 cup sake

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups dashi from above

1/2-1 teaspoon wasabi powder, mixed into a smooth slurry with water + more for the table

Salt, as needed

10 oz. soba noodles

2 baby cucumbers, peeled with a Julienne peeler or cut into very thin slices

1 mango, thinly sliced

1 avocado, thinly sliced

Nori sheets, cut into thin strips

1/4 cup grated white radish

To make the dashi:

Heat the water, and when boiling, add the mushrooms and kombu. Simmer gently for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Remove the kombu and discard it. Keep the mushrooms if desired.

Heat the sake in a pot and simmer for 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Add the soy, sugar, and dashi and bring to a simmer until the sugar has melted completely. Set aside to cool. Mix in the wasabi paste and incorporate well, leaving no lumps. Taste and adjust the heat with more wasabi and salt.

To make the noodles:

Cook the soba noodles by bringing the water to a boil. Add the noodles and bring back to a boil. When simmering, add 1/2 cup water and bring back to a boil. Add half a cup of water when simmering well and bring it back to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and test the noodles. They should be cooked just right. Do not make them too soft; they need to remain with a bite for texture in the salad. Set aside to cool and then chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

To assemble:

Divide the dashi sauce into four individual bowls. Top with the noodles divided equally. Top with the mango, avocado, and cucumbers. Add one tablespoon of the grated radish in a pile in the centre and scatter some nori strips all over. Serve chilled, with extra wasabi paste on the side.