Cold Tea Noodles

This refreshing dish provides an eaasy way out of the kitchen on a sweltering day. Keep cool by cooking the noodles in tea the night before you serve the dish. Next day, assemble the short list of ingredients and dinner is on the table. Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese spice mixture, available at Asian markets.

2 quarts/2 liters water
1 tablespoon/14 grams green tea leaves
1 pound/500 grams Chinese Water noodles or Japanese undon noodles
1 package (12 ounces/340 grams) firm tofu, well-drained
1 package radish sprouts, washed and dried
1 bunch scallions, slice into very thin rounds
1 small bunch cilantro leaves
Light soy sauce
Japanese sesame oil
Shichimi togarashi or freshly ground black pepper

Bring 2 quarts/2 litrers of water to 180 degrees F/82 degrees C and add tea. Steep for 3 minutes and pour through a sieve. Reserve liquid for cooking the noddles.

Heat the reserved tea to a boil and add noodles. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until noodles are still somewhat al dente. Remove from heat and allow the noodles to remain in the liquid until cooled. remove noodles from liquid and
place in a bowl, covered, overnight in the refrigerator.

Next day, cover the tofu with several layers of paper toweling and place it on a plate. Press any excess moisture from the tofu by setting a 2-pound/1-kilogran weight (approximately) upon it. Remove weight and paper toweling after 15 minutes. Discard any liquid that has accumulated on the plate. Carefully slide the tofu into 1-inch/3-centimeter cubes and set aside.

Place equal amounts of noodles on each of 4 plates. Scatter tofu and remaining ingredients evenly over all. Serve with soy sauce, sesame oil, and seasoning
as desired.

Serves 4.

This recipe is part of the book Cooking with Tea by Robert Wemischner and Diana Rosen.


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