Memories of Tokyo

This is my favorite super-healthy super-speedy insta-meal. If you have the ingredients on hand, this is a wonderful 5-minute creation.

It’s sometimes hard to find 100% buckwheat noodles. Most so called buckwheat noodles will contain about 30% wheat. Buckwheat isn’t wheat at all, but a seed, and is therefore much easier to digest and acceptable for most people with wheat allergies.

Eden brand makes an excellent quality organic buckwheat noodle you can find at good health food stores. And all Japanese specialty shops will carry them. Slurp on!

Tokyo Street Soup

for 2

6 cups of spring water

1 small bunch (approx an inch in diameter) of organic buckwheat noodles (available at health food stores or Asian markets)

5 tablespoons mild miso (Cold Mountain Kyoto White is my fave)

2 green onions

a quarter yam or half a carrot

1 sheet nori (Japanese seaweed used to make sushi – available at health food stores or Asian markets)

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 tablespoon of sesame or walnut oil

Cut the yam into 2-inch cubes, then cut them again lengthwise, then again to create match-sized pieces. In a small cast iron pan, heat a little walnut or sesame oil on high. Add matchstick yams or carrots and stir until they’re crispy. Turn off heat and drain on a paper towel.

Slice green onions and set aside.

Slice ginger into very fine little strips and set aside.

Slice nori sheet into small strips, or simply crumble it. (Hint – If you get toasted nori, it will crumble easily. Just watch out if you buy prepared nori strips that there’s no MSG or sugar added.) Set aside.

Boil a small pot of spring water (about 6 cups). Add noodles and stir until they’re cooked (approx. 10 minutes). Turn off heat. Add miso and dissolve. (Wait until water stops boiling to add miso or you’ll kill its active enzymes.) Separate noodles into 2 large soup bowls. Pour miso broth over noodles. Top with matchstick yams, green onions, nori and ginger and sprinkle a little nanami togarashi.

Try eating this Tokyo Street Style with chopsticks and lots of appreciative slurps.