Otsu Noodles

Sauce:
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce or 2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Juice and grated zest from half a lemon (or lime)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon sriracha or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper

Noodles:
9 ounces plain buckwheat soba noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
Combine tahini, tamari, sweet soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, sriracha, and pepper, in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

For the noodles:
Prepare the noodles according to the package directions, typically by boiling for about 4 minutes.  Rinse in cool water and drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Slice the tofu into approximately 2x1x3/4-inch rectangles, dry thoroughly with a paper towel, and saute in a single layer until nicely browned onboth sides, about 5 minutes total.

Taste and adjust the sauce; thin with a little cool water if necessary to create a fairly liquid texture.

In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, sauce (reserving 2 tablespoons), sesame seeds (reserving 1 tablespoon), cucumber and tofu.  To serve, top with (in order) the reserved sauce, the scallions, the remaining sesame seeds, a few pinches of seasalt, and a grind of black pepper.

Serves 4.


From Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin, with minor changes