Japanese Zaru Soba with Dashi Dipping Sauce and Crispy Tempura Shrimp

Ingredients

• 8 oz dried soba noodles
• 8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (for tempura)
• 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water
• 1 egg yolk
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 2 cups dashi stock (or 2 cups water with 1 tsp dashi powder)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated daikon radish
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Wasabi paste for serving

Instructions

1. Make dipping sauce: combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stir to dissolve sugar, then cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold.
2. Cook soba in a large pot of boiling unsalted water, 4-5 minutes until tender but with a slight bite. Drain and rinse immediately under very cold water, rubbing noodles to remove starch. Drain well.
3. Make tempura batter: whisk egg yolk into ice-cold sparkling water. Add flour all at once and stir minimally — lumps are fine. Keep cold.
4. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. Pat shrimp dry. Dip each into batter and fry 2-3 minutes until pale golden and crispy. Drain on a rack.
5. Arrange cold soba on a bamboo tray or plate. Garnish with nori strips and sesame seeds.
6. Divide dipping sauce into small bowls. Add grated daikon and ginger to each bowl.
7. Serve soba alongside dipping sauce and tempura shrimp. To eat: dip a small bundle of noodles into the sauce with scallions. Serve wasabi on the side.