Cool Noodles for a Hot Planet

They’re light, cooling, and refreshing, something we all need in this summer of record-breaking heat.

I arrived in Tokyo as new bride back in a dark, cold January.  January rolled into February, which rolled into March, and Tokyo was still dark and cold, especially for me, a tropical transplant from Miami.  Cherry blossom season burst forth with ethereal blossoms and high spirits. . .  and it was still cold. I drank tea constantly, sure I’d never be warm again.  And then July came around.  

Tokyo is inland and intensely populated, with a lot of tall buildings built close together, not a lot of green space.  This translates into heat that radiates up from the pavement and has nowhere to go. Air conditioning, a way of life in Miami, was absent.  Winter became sweltering summer almost overnight.  

Suddenly, I could understand the appeal of Japan’s seasonal dishes like zara soba, wakame and oshitashi.  They make more sense than ever now.  They’re light, cooling, and refreshing, something we all need in this summer of record-breaking heat.  

As I put together this post, I thought — chilled Asian noodles, chilled spinach salad.  Wouldn’t they be better together?  Yes, they would. The spinach adds a pretty pop of color, a little extra flavor and nourishment and some fresh green goodness to the noodles, the noodles take the oshitashi from a starter to a main event.

The Japanese word for spinach is hōrensō. Okay it looks different in kanji, more like this 菠. If you’re a greens geek like I am, that the word sounds so much like horta, Greek for local greens, is an exciting thing indeed.

Komatsuna 小松菜  is another Japanese spinach, leafy, lovely and spicier then we usually get here.  It grows well in Miami.  Until the summer heat kills it off.

Noodle options:

• soba, or buckwheat noodles 

• rice noodles  

• konjac — aka shirataki, slippery sweet potato noodles

• I have found some bean pastas become heavier when chilled and are less successful in terms of mouthfeel here.  However, like soba, rice noodles and shirataki, they’re gluten-free* and totally edible.

• somen, quick-cooking white wheat noodles

• basic or whole wheat spaghetti

Soba is traditional, but they all work here.  It’s too hot to fuss, sweethearts.

Unlike my usual spiced-up recipes, this one’s simple and subtle  It’s quick, easy, keeps things light, keeps you and your kitchen cool, and it’s oil-free, too.

Itadakimasu  頂

If you like this dish, slurp it.  It’s a sign of respect in Japanese etiquette.  

If you like the idea of mitigating the heat, floods, drenching rain, fires and other climate change impacts we’re experiencing around the world, go plantbased. A plantbased diet can 

• lower carbon 

• save water

• improve human health

Check out these recent studies:

• Stanford University

• Nature

Cool Spinach Noodles

• 2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth

• 8 ounces soba or other long, slender pasta 

• 8 ounces (about 8 cups, loosely packed) fresh spinach leaves, chopped 

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mirin, soy, rice vinegar and vegetable broth.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook soba or other noodles, taking them off the heat a minute before package directions indicate.  

3. Place fresh spinach leaves in a strainer in the sink.  Pour hot noodles over and toss.  Voila, now you don’t have to cook the spinach, the heat from the noodles will have done the trick.

4. Drain pasta and noodles well and pour into a large bowl.  Add mirin and soy sauce mixture and toss lightly to combine.

5. Top with any or all

   1. Cubes of firm tofu 

   2. toasted sesame seeds

   3. frizzled shallots

   4. shredded carrot 

   5. thinly sliced scallion 

   6. shaved daikon 

   7. chopped cilantro

6. give a squeeze of lime to finish — not traditionally Japanese but way refreshing

Looking for a printable version of this recipe? Grab it here.

More no-cook or quick-cook vegan recipes from around the world

• From Morocco — Moroccan carrot salad

• From Italy — panzanella, the classic tomato and stale bread salad

• From Thailand — Thai noodle salad aka bun 

• Delighted to share another oshitashi recipe from my friend Kazu Abe of Funky Asian Kitchen

*In search of for more gluten-free guidance? GFF’s the place to be.

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