Fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the abura-age and bring it to a rolling boil. Add salt and gently slide the aburaage into the water.

Place a drop lid (otoshibuta) or foil directly on top of the tofu pouches to keep them submerged, then blanch for exactly 3 minutes.

Lift the abura-age from the hot water and immediately rinse under cold running water until cool to the touch.

Gently squeeze each piece between your palms to press out excess moisture. You’ll feel the pouches deflate slightly as trapped water escapes.

Be firm but not aggressive here. You want to remove water without tearing the delicate tofu skin.

In a clean saucepan, combine the dashi stock, sugar, sake, and mirin. Stir everything together over medium heat, watching for the sugar crystals to completely dissolve.

Once the sugar disappears, pour in the light soy sauce and give it one final stir.

Heat your seasoning mixture until it just begins to bubble around the edges, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Add the prepared abura-age pieces and cover with a drop lid to keep them submerged in the liquid.

Let them simmer with drop lid on for 15 minutes, or until the cooking liquid reduces by about two-thirds.

Transfer the seasoned aburaage to a storage container along with any remaining cooking liquid, then let them cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours with either plastic wrap or paper towel for even marination.

Then, put the lid on.

Pour the dashi stock, light soy sauce, mirin, and light brown sugar into a medium saucepan and whisk until the sugar dissolves completely. Bring the mixture to a medium-heat boil and let it bubble for exactly 1 minute. This brief boil burns off the alcohol in the mirin while preserving its subtle sweetness.

Turn off the heat immediately and drop in several ice cubes to crash-cool the broth. This quick-chill method halts the cooking process while giving you perfectly balanced, ready-to-serve soup in minutes.

Boil the noodles according to the package, drain, and rinse under cold water until they feel springy and cool to the touch.

Toss them with a few ice cubes right in the colander for extra chill.

Divide the chilled soba noodles between two serving bowls and pour the cold dashi broth around them. Arrange your toppings in colorful sections:

• Julienned cucumber
• Thin slices of kamaboko fish cake
• Halved soft-boiled eggs
• Perfectly seasoned kitsune aburaage

Finish with a generous sprinkle of chopped green onions and a light dusting of shichimi togarashi for some gentle heat.

In a saucepan, mix all the dipping sauce ingredients with water. Heat over medium heat until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let it cool down.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the ramen noodles and cook according to the package instructions.

Drain the noodles in a colander and then rinse them immediately under cold running water.

Once you’ve rinsed the noodles, put them in a bowl of ice water to chill completely.

For the dipping sauce, add about 5 standard ice cubes (or more if you’re using smaller cubes) to quickly bring down the temperature.

Chilling both components thoroughly is key to the refreshing nature of Zaru Ramen.

Arrange the chilled noodles on a plate or zaru mat if you have one.

Serve the cold dipping sauce in a separate bowl with your chosen toppings.

Grated daikon radish (oroshi daikon) is a common addition to many Japanese dishes due to its slightly peppery yet refreshing taste.

But, did you know that grating daikon is important to grate the right part? The bottom of the daikon (the point) is strong and bitter, which is best used for pickles or strongly flavored soups or hotpots. The middle part is sweeter and great for simmered dishes. Finally, the top part near the stem is mild and best for eating raw in salads or as oroshi (grated). It’s also better to peel the outside of the daikon before grating.

Because the toppings will be mixed in with the noodles, I recommend cutting everything thin and fine for best results. The toppings you choose affect the texture of the dish, so to balance the chewy noodles and soft, sauce-soaked tenkasu, I recommend choosing a few crunchy toppings with some bite (I used okra and cucumber).

If, like me, you use wakame for this dish, soak it according to the instructions on the packaging.

Once all of your ingredients are ready, place a portion of the udon noodles in each bowl.

Arrange the ingredients beautifully on top of the udon, feel free to get creative here!

The final step is drizzling the toppings with sesame oil (which adds flavor and makes them easier to mix) and then pouring the sauce over the top! Make sure to divide the sauce equally between portions.

Mix thoroughly before eating and enjoy!

To get the most flavor out of your sesame seeds, I recommend toasting them in a dry frying pan on medium-high heat for a few minutes. This step releases the aroma of the sesame seeds for a more intense, nutty flavor.

Once the sesame seeds are slightly golden and you can smell the toasted sesame aroma, you can take them off the heat. It only takes a few minutes! Be sure to shake the pan from time to time. This will help the sesame seeds toast more evenly and help prevent burning.

In Japan, ground sesame seeds are called “surigoma” (すりごま). You can buy them already ground or grind them yourself! I use my trusty “suribachi” (mortar) and “surikogi” (pestle), which you can purchase on Amazon. You could also use a pepper mill or coffee grinder. Generally, food processors are a bit too big for this unless you’re making a large batch.

Finally, mix the ground sesame seeds with the other sauce ingredients and then store in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Add the wasabi to taste. I find that 1 tsp is plenty, but you can add more or less depending on your preference. If you don’t like wasabi, simply leave it out.

The wafer-thin Japanese egg crepe cut into thin strips blends in perfectly with the noodles, to make it, follow these steps:

If you don’t want to make kinshi tamago, you can also use boiled egg, fried egg, or simply leave it out, it’s up to you!

Julienne is a cutting technique where the ingredients are sliced into short, thin strips. It’s a little time-consuming, but it’s necessary for this dish so that the ingredients are easily mixed in with the noodles. It’s also great for presentation!

The only exceptions here are the tomatoes (thinly sliced) and the imitation crab, which I shred using a fork.

Somen is one of the quickest noodles to cook. Generally, they only take about 2 minutes! Of course, check the packaging to be sure.

Once cooked, drain the water by pouring the noodles into a sieve over the sink. Quickly cool them and halt the cooking process by rinsing them under cold running water; this will also remove any excess starch.

Finally, place some ice on the noodles to help make them extra cold! I recommend leaving them in the sieve over a large bowl to drain the excess water.

Take your serving dish and place the noodles at the bottom. Arrange the toppings so that everything is pointing toward the middle, and try to keep similar colors apart so that there’s more contrast between each ingredient.

Finally, top the somen salad with your homemade sesame dressing and mix well before eating!

I like to use chicken breasts to keep the dish light and refreshing. A shortcut I use for steaming chicken is the same one I use for my salad chicken recipe: I simply microwave it! If you follow these steps, you will have perfectly cooked chicken breast!

First, dry the surface with a paper towel and pierce both sides all over with a fork. This tenderizes the meat and helps the steam penetrate thoroughly so it cooks all the way through.

Then sprinkle a pinch of salt on both sides and coat with a thin layer of cornstarch.

Take a microwavable bowl big enough to fit the chicken and make a sauce by mixing sake, mirin, chicken stock powder, sugar, and salt together. Place the chicken in the bowl and turn it a few times to cover it with the sauce.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes at 600W.

Turn the chicken over and microwave again, 1 1/2 minutes at 600W.

Once it’s done, leave it in the microwave still covered for 10 minutes to finish cooking in the steam. (This step is important; if you skip it, then the chicken might be undercooked!)

Once 10 minutes have passed, take the chicken out of the bowl, wrap it up, and leave it to cool for about 10 minutes. Make sure to save the leftover juices in the bowl for the noodle soup later!

Once the chicken is cool to the touch, place it in the refrigerator. Since this dish is served chilled, it’s better if the chicken is also thoroughly chilled. If you have time, I recommend chilling for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour.

To make the somen soup, take a microwavable container and add water, chicken stock powder, soy sauce, grated garlic, sugar, and salt. Mix the ingredients and then microwave for 2 1/2 minutes at 600W.

Next, finely chop some spring onion and add it to the soup. You can also pour the leftover juices from the chicken into the soup for extra flavor!

Cover the noodle soup and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Dry somen noodles cook very quickly, most only take 2-3 minutes. After boiling, pour the somen into a mesh sieve to drain the hot water and cool them down by running them under cold water. Add ice to chill them further!

Cut the chicken into slices and divide the soup between the serving bowls. Add your noodles, chicken, cucumber, soft-boiled egg, and a few slices of citrus of your choice.

I also like to sprinkle with black pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil for a finishing touch.

I hope you enjoy this refreshing summery recipe!

Take a medium-sized frying pan (I use 22cm pan) and preheat over medium-low heat. Use a paper towel to spread the oil around the pan. This will spread the oil evenly and remove any excess which will ensure the surface of the egg is cooked beautifully without spots.

Crack the eggs into a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk until the yolks and whites are combined.

This is an important step to make a smooth kinshi tamago. Without straining through a mesh sieve, the finished kinshi tamago will be marbled in yellow and white instead of smooth yellow color. It also helps remove foam and air bubbles!

Pour the mixture into the pan, making sure it’s a thin and even layer. One 22cm frying pan will make one egg’s worth of kinshi tamago so you will need to cook them in batches (or use a bigger pan) when using multiple eggs.

Don’t be tempted to pour all of the egg into the pan to save time; otherwise, it will become too thick!

Cook the egg until 80% done, there’s no need to flip it. This will prevent overcooking since the egg continues to cook with the residual heat. It will also prevent burning and keep the texture flexible so we can roll it for the next step.

Peel the kinshi tamago out of the pan, being careful not to rip it. Let it cool for a few minutes and then roll it up and thinly slice it.

Kinshi tamago can be used in a range of salad and rice dishes. It’s also great for bentos!

Cook the glass noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Some need to be cooked in boiling water for a few minutes, but in my case, I only needed to soak them in warm water.

Pour the noodles into a sieve and rinse with cold running water to cool them down. You can add some ice cubes if you want them to be extra cold. (Don’t refrigerate; this will dry them out and make them stick together.)

Take the bowl of cucumber, carrot, and ginger from earlier and pour out any liquid that might have accumulated at the bottom. Transfer them to a new, larger mixing bowl and add the noodles, kinshi tamago, and wood ear mushroom. Mix thoroughly, but gently so you don’t break the egg.

Shred the imitation crab and add it to the bowl, then pour in the sauce and mix again.

Mix until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the sauce.

Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds for the final touch.

Enjoy!

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and cook your soba noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.

Place a sieve or colander in the sink and pour the soba noodles in to drain. Rinse with cold water to cool them quickly, then place the sieve in a bowl of cold water and add ice to make the noodles extra cold and stop them from sticking together.

For each serving, arrange a small plate with a pinch of chopped green onion and a blob of grated ginger and wasabi (optional). I also recommend serving zaru soba with tenkasu (tempura bits) to soak up the flavor of the sauce!

Drain the soba and transfer it to a bamboo tray (or similar) with a plate underneath to prevent leaks. Top with shredded nori and serve each portion with its own bowl of dipping sauce and a small plate of additional ingredients.

Mix your choice of ingredients into the sauce, dip the noodles in and enjoy!

Pour the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and light brown sugar into a saucepan and mix. Boil for 1 minute over medium heat to burn off the alcohol in the mirin.

If serving cold, turn off the heat and add some ice cubes to cool the sauce quickly. If you’re serving hot udon, add water and reheat right before serving.

i. Cook the udon according to the instructions on the packaging. Once cooked, pour through a colander to drain and rinse with fresh water to remove any excess starch.

ii. Use cold water for the cold version and chill them in the colander with a few ice cubes. If serving hot, rinse with hot water.

i. Divide the udon into serving bowls and add the sauce.

ii. Add your choice of toppings and mix well before eating.

iii. Mix well and enjoy!

Start by cooking dried soba noodles. You can just follow the timing recommended on the packaging.

While the noodles bubble away, wash your vegetables. Slice half the tomatoes into thin rounds for garnish, and chop the rest into rough chunks. Roughly cut the eggplant and let it soak in water.

For the okra, trim off the stems.

Then rub the pods with salt on a cutting board.

This quick “salt scrub” removes fuzz and improves the texture.

When the soba’s ready, drain and rinse it under cold water to wash off the starch. Give it a final chill in ice water until it’s cool to the core.

Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat until you can feel the warmth radiating from the surface. Add cooking oil along with your ground pork, salt, and freshly grated garlic and ginger.

Sauté until the meat browns and crisps a little. It should smell rich and savory.

Once the pork is beautifully browned, add your drained eggplant chunks and stir-fry until they start to soften and absorb those meaty flavors. When the eggplant feels little tender, add in your soy sauce, mirin, and yellow miso paste.

Mash the miso against the side of the pan with your spatula to break up any lumps before stirring everything together.

Toss in the tomato chunks and okra pieces. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to everything. Watch for the tomatoes to break down and release their juices.

When you drag the spatula across the bottom of the pan and the sauce holds its shape for a moment before flowing back together, you’ve hit the perfect consistency. Remove from heat immediately.

Lift your chilled soba from the ice water and drain thoroughly in a colander, give it a gentle shake to remove excess water. Toss the cold noodles with a drizzle of sesame oil and a crack of black pepper, using your hands or tongs to coat every strand.

This oil coating prevents the noodles from clumping and adds a subtle nutty richness that complements the miso flavors beautifully.

Divide the soba into bowls and spoon the warm miso pork sauce over top. Tuck the tomato slices to the side, then sprinkle with chopped scallions and a generous handful of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

The warm topping releases aroma the second it hits the chilled noodles. Don’t skip that final sizzle of oil!

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