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Zaru Soba with Crispy Tempura

5 from 1 vote
Light and refreshing cold soba noodles with crispy tempura.
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 2 people
Author: Dearnomdiary

Ingredients

Tempura Coating

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Tempura Batter

  • 1½ cup frying mix
  • 1 cup cold water
  • A few ice cubes

Tempura

  • Neutral oil for frying
  • Kabocha squash (thickness of 0.5 cm)
  • Sweet potato (thickness of 0.5 cm)
  • Shrimps (peeled and deveined, leave the tail on)

Assembling

  • 2 servings of soba noodles
  • Nori strips
  • Tempura
  • Soba & Tempura Dipping Sauce (Tentsuyu) (recipe here)
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
  • 2 tbsp daikon (grated)
  • Wasabi

Instructions

Tempura Coating

  • Combine the ingredients together in a wide dish.

Tempura Batter

  • Whisk in the cold water (cold makes the tempura crispier) into the frying mix until it has a smooth consistency. Add in the ice cubes and keep the batter COLD so that the tempura becomes extra crispy.

Tempura

  • Prepare the tempura by slicing the vegetables. For the shrimp, make tiny scores on the bottom of the shrimp, and also on one of the sides. Make sure to not cut too deep. Gently pull it apart to make the shrimp straight. Repeat for the remaining shrimp.
  • In a medium-sized pot, heat up the neutral oil for frying until it reaches to 350ºF (180ºC).
  • Start off with the vegetables first. Coat the vegetables with the flour coating, and then dust off excess flour. Dip into the wet tempura batter. Deep fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pot. Transfer to a wired rack or a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
  • For the shrimp: Coat the shrimp with the flour coating, and then dust off excess flour. Dip into the wet tempura batter. Grab the shrimp by the tail with chopsticks or heat proof tongs, and gently place into the heated oil, while making a swirling motion (this makes the shrimp straight). Deep fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pot. Transfer to a wired rack or a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.

Assembling

  • Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water with your hands to get rid of the excess starch. Sieve and place on serving plates/bowls. Place the nori strips on top.
  • Dipping Sauce: Reserve half for soba noodles and the other half for the tempura.
    For the one for soba: add in the green onion, grated daikon, and wasabi (adjust to your preference) and mix together.
  • Dip the soba noodles in the sauce briefly and slurp! Dip the tempura in the other half of the tentsuyu and enjoy!

Notes

You can use the tempura dipping sauce (Tentsuyu) for both the soba noodles and tempura, OR you can use it for just tempura, and buy store bought tsuyu for the soba.