Recipe time!

Brief note before the main entry: around here, the mochi-and-red-bean soup is called zenzai.

I had beef soba noodles for dinner last night, and it was pretty good, so I'm sharing. Recipe originally acquired here and slightly modified.

1) Make the noodles. Get a package of soba noodles--I think big grocery stores carry them in America. Boil them for a bit (maybe 5-10 minutes, not long at all), then take them out and wash them under cold water to get the starch off. Place them in a sauce made of the following ingredients:

• 4 parts soy sauce


• 4 parts mirin


• 4 parts sesame seed oil


• 1 part rice or wine vinegar

Leave them to soak for at least half an hour.

2) Get some protein. I used thinly-sliced beef, which I marinated in a mixture of lime juice, yuzu-flavored shōchū and tsuyu sauce (which, as it turned out, is basically a mixture of soy sauce and mirin, so you can just add those instead) for half an hour before searing.

3) Get veggies. I used:

• Shiitake mushrooms


• Sliced carrots


• Bok Choy (aka hakusai)

Bamboo shoots, cucumbers, baby corn and even sliced apples might go well too.

4) After everything is done marinating, mix it all together in a bowl and leave the flavors to mingle. I suggest half an hour minimum, but the longer you leave it the more blended it will be.

5) Place serving portions into bowls. Top with crushed walnuts and fresh basil.

6) Serve with a bit of kimchi on the side.