Buckwheat noodles with mushrooms, bok choy, ginger, and scallions

This is a dish that highlights fresh vegetables in all their glory. This is a simple dish that uses everyday staples but produces a lovely result. The core of the dish is soba, Japanese buckwheat noodles, earthy and delicate. The vegetables add texture to the soft noodles, the bok choy crunch, and the mushrooms a bite. The sauces uplift the dish, adding freshness. I loved this dish fresh, but to be honest, I later had leftovers, being too lazy to reheat them, and it was better. This makes for a lovely light lunch on a hot day.

Deborah Madison was one of the first chefs to embrace the farm-to-table movement when she opened her restaurant Greens, which I have dined at a few times. Her cookbooks are lovely, and this one, in particular, is amazing. It has simple recipes that are loaded with flavour. Like me, you should get all her cookbooks; each is a masterpiece!

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

6 oz. thin buckwheat noodles like soba

6 cups water

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 lb mushrooms, shiitake or oyster, or other, thinly sliced

Salt, to taste

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1-2 jalapeno or green chillies, thinly sliced

1 small bok choy, thinly sliced

1-2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce

2 tablespoons cilantro, minced, for garnish

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted, for garnish

Method:

Heat the water in a pot and add the noodles. Cook as per the instructions on the package, minus one minute for al dente. Drain and cool completely in a colander under running water. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wide pan or pot. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook on medium heat until the mushrooms are dry and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and toss for a minute.

Add the cooked noodles and the scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, and toss well integrating the sauce int the noodles evenly. Put the noodles into a serving bowl or plate. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Note: the leftover salad is also great cold, especially in Gurgaon's heat.