It’s summer. It’s warm. (Yes, even here in England.) Therefore, it’s time to eat cold noodles.

(Can you tell I’m going on holiday in less than 12 hours, and attempting to write the world’s shortest blogpost on soba dipping sauce?)

So without further ado, I bid you au revoir for now. If you’re an oyster in the south of France, watch out. I’m coming your way.

 

Recipe: Soba Dipping Sauce
Adapted from Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji

Ingredients

  • 500ml dashi
  • 4tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2tbsp mirin
  • 1tbsp sugar
  • Katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes) – a handful

Mix the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a smallish pot. Bring to boil.

Add the katsuo-bushi and remove pot from heat. Wait a bit (Tsuji says 10 seconds, but 30 won’t hurt either), then strain the sauce.

Let sauce cool to room temperature.

[Storage: Tsuji claims that dipping sauce can keep 'several months refrigerated'. My tupperware grew mould inside the lid after a few weeks. Maybe you'll have better luck.]

[For the terminally lazy: you can also buy soba dipping sauce in Japanese supermarkets.]