Matcha Soba Salad with Norimaki Mochi

5 from 1 vote

Matcha Soba Salad with Norimaki Mochi

Cold matcha (green tea) soba noodles tossed with fresh crunchy vegetables, a light and flavorful sesame dressing and topped off with a crisp and chewy norimaki is the perfect way to greet spring.

Cook Time30

Total Time30

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings:

Calories: 206kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

66 grams soba noodles
(100% buckwheat) (1 section of the noodles of a 200 gram package) We used matcha soba
1 cup spinach
fresh chopped
¼ cup Carrot
julienne slices or use a grater
¼ cup red bell pepper
diced
¼ cup yellow bell pepper

Sesame Dressing

2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon honey
or maple syrup to keep vegan
¼ cup soy sauce
or tamari to keep gluten-free
2 tablespoon daikon radish
grated
¼ cup tamarind
or to taste (Soak tamarind paste in hot water)
2 teaspoon sesame seeds garnish - optional

Norimaki

3 blocks Kirimochi (切り餅)
1 sheet dried nori leaves cut into (2.5 inches x 7.5 inches or 6 cm x 16 cm) or just to fit your kirimochi
¼ cup soy sauce
or tamari to keep gluten-free
2 tablespoon brown sugar or sugar alternative of choice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Boil the soba noodles according to the package instructions... Start out by boiling your water and then drop in the soba noodles. Then drop the temperature down from a boil to a simmer and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until aldente. There is no need to salt the water. Drain the noodles in a strainer in the sink and let the cool water gentle run over your noodles for a minute or two, wash the soba noodles so they from any remaining starch residue and until the noodles are cool..drain well (Reserve some of the pasta water to drink,if you like, as it is full of vitamins and minerals or discard)
In a large bowl add the cooked and cooled soba noodles, chopped spinach, chopped red and yellow bell peppers, carrots or really any vegetables you fancy and have in your crisper.
Preheat oven to 190 Celsius or 375 F to make your norimaki.
Make your Japanese sesame dressing for your Matcha soba salad: Add sesame oil, honey, tamari (soy) sauce, grated diakon and tamarind juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. If you want it more salty add more tamari sauce, it you want it more spicy add more diakon radish, if you want it more sour add more tamarind. (You can also use lemon, rice vinegar, limes or yuzu instead of tamarind for the sparkle in the dressing.)
Add your Japanese sesame dressing to the matcha soba salad and toss lightly. Divide your Matcha soba salad between 3 plates and garnish with sesame seeds.
Make your norimaki. Make the tamari (soy sauce) glaze: add tamari (soy sauce) to a small pan and add brown sugar and cook over low medium heat until it is a nice and thick glaze about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Place the Kirimochi (切り餅) blocks on a pre-greased baking sheet. Slather the tamari brown sugar glaze on each Kirimochi (切り餅) and bake for about 10 minutes or until firm on the outside and chewy on the inside. Don't cook too long or it will end up in a pool of mochi (completely melted). The goal is you want the edges to be crispy but the inside to be tender. If you do not have an oven, you can also pan fry or grill instead.
Trim your nori (dried seaweed) into 3 long strips the same width as your mochi. (Alternatively you can buy the thin pre-cut strips of nori). Immediately wrap the warm mochi in nori. Place a delicious hot out of the oven norimaki on each plate of cool matcha soba salads.
Enjoy.

Notes

Nutrition calculations are for the Matcha soba salad only.

Remember if you need to keep this recipe gluten-free you need to find a soba brand that is 100% buckwheat and use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.

Feel free to exchange lemon juice for the tamirand juice.

The matcha soba salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Just right before serving, make your normaki and garnish with sesame seeds.

To make vegan, be sure to exchange maple syrup for the honey in the dressing recipe.

Nutrition