Zaru (cold) udon/soba

Have you ever tried zaru soba or udon? If not, you should. And QuICKly too! In a hot + humid country like SG, you ought to eat zaru soba or udon all the Time! When I was in Nagano, my pastor & missionary friend re-introduced it to me. It is the most refreshing meal ever! Cold udon soaked in tasty, tasty Tsuyu sauce (mixed with seaweed & onion). Oh btw, Nagano was actually rather cold compare to Tokyo. Believe it or not, I had to wear fleece to survive! Nevertheless, it was refreshing to eat zaru udon/soba/somen even in cold weather. Simple meal and NICE!

Zaru Udon or Soba: (Personally, I prefer udon more than soba) Good news is that cooking zaru udon or soba is as easy as cooking instant noodles. Last nite, I actually cook it for 14 pple! Piece of cake.

Things you need to cook a simple, yet satisfying meal of Zaru Udon/Soba are:
1) Dried Udon or soba, of course
2) Tsuyu (it is the pre-made sauce and you can get it in any supermaket which sell Japanese food)
3) Seaweed - cut into long & thin pieces
4) Wasabi (Optional ah)
5) Spring Onions or Naganegi (Long Onion) - cut into small bits & pieces

How to Cook:
Prepare the sauce first - one spoonful of Tsuyu with one spoonful of water. Idea is one to one. If you want more tsuyu, add one spoonful of it with one spoonful of water. Well, you get the idea. Mix it up and place it in the fridge. (er, not freezer ah, you don't want to have an ice-cream tsuyu! not a good idea at all)
Next, put the dried udon/soba into a pot of boiling water
Once e noodles is well cook, run it through cold tab water.
Place the noodles into a pot/big bowl of cold tab water & add ice into it. (this step is optional. Idea here is to "ice" e noodles)
Take it out of the pot/big bowl just before serving, Place it on a plate and add some more ice around or in-between the noodles

How to Eat:
Add the onion into the sauce. You may want to add the wasaBI too!
Put the noodles into sauce, add some seaweed and eat! There! Simple, yar?!

Having cold udon/soba in your mouth is like drinking a cup of cold, cold water on a hot, hot day. TRY IT! It is way better than eating instant noodles. Maybe next time, i will teach you how to cook MiSo soup too.