Last night I decided to use japan as my inspiration for a simple meal.
I wanted to bring together a few key flavors as separate items on a plate: Dashi, Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sesame, and Five Spice. I instantly knew what i wanted to do!
I wanted to make something with Soba Noodles! Soba Noodles are served with a Soba Dipping Sauce called Tsuyu. Tsuyu is made with Dashi, Soy Sauce, and Mirin. Three of the flavors I craved. For those of you that don't know what Soba Noodles are, they are a buckwheat based noodle that is served cold. It can be served hot in soup as well but I love it cold. One of my favorite things about Japan was getting good food fast in the train stations. Soba noodles were a big part of that.
I wanted a light protein that was prepared simply with the Soba Noodles and that is when I decided on tuna. My plan was to get a nice few pieces of fresh tuna and season them with chinese five spice powder that my lil sister picked up for while travelling in Thailand. I wanted to add a layer of sesame flavor so I whisked together a marinade from tamarin sesame dressing, olive oil and chinese five spice powder. I quickly pan seared the tuna on each side and let it rest.
I paired all of this with a simple salad with mixed baby greens, chopped purple cabbage, and chopped white cabbage. I lightly tossed it with some of the tamarin sesame dressing and dinner was ready.
I plated it on some beautiful long plates that I have in the house and I was ready to eat! Everything was so fragrant and delicious. A simple meal, very flavorful, and a taste of Japan. YUM
Total prep and cook time: 15 mins.
Amount of Delicious: AWESOME
i <3 japan
