Written for 2. Change that in the app and the amounts follow.
Tick things off as you get them ready.
Soft-boil the eggs: lower into boiling water for exactly 6 minutes. Transfer to ice water for 2 minutes, then peel.
Cook soba noodles in boiling water according to the packet: usually 5 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water for 1 minute.
Make the dipping sauce: stir together soy sauce, mirin, and 2 tbsp cold water. Add wasabi if using and stir until dissolved.
Cook edamame in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and cool.
Arrange bowls: noodles in the centre, egg halved alongside, cucumber slices, edamame, and torn nori pieces. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Serve the dipping sauce in small bowls on the side.
What she’d tell you
Zaru soba: cold buckwheat noodles with a dipping broth. When I tried it in Tokyo, I thought: this is the most elegant lunch in the world. Three ingredients, tasted separately, then together. Japanese cooking teaches you to slow down and pay attention.
any thin wheat noodle; buckwheat is the traditional one
toasted sesame seeds, or leave it out
Two days in the fridge. The noodles firm up cold: rinse them under water to loosen.
Cold, dear. It is a cold noodle bowl; warming it would be a different dish.
