Loaded with nutrients, wakame has been an important part of the Japanese diet for centuries. And besides being good for you, it has a wonderful flavor that’s both briny and sweet. I love this seaweed and eat a ton of it. Wakame is also very convenient: because it’s dried, it can be stored for months, but it takes only minutes to reconstitute. This quick and easy soba dish is a delicious way to introduce this versatile ingredient to American cooks, especially when paired with fresh snow peas and tangy onions. Give it a try; I know you’ll love wakame as much as I do.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　3 tablespoons dried wakame

　　3 cups hot water

　　16 snow peas, trimmed

　　1/4 red onion

　　14 ounces soba noodles (fresh or dried)

　　4 cups Hot Soba Broth (page 41)

　　

Step 1

In a bowl, cover the wakame with the hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Prepare an ice bath and bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Also bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the snow peas in the salted water for 1 minute, then submerge in the ice bath. Cool, drain, and cut in half.

　　

Step 3

Thinly slice the red onion into rounds, about 1/2 cup. In a small bowl, cover the onion with cold water for 5 minutes. Drain well.

　　

Step 4

Cook the soba noodles in the unsalted boiling water until al dente, about 1 minute for fresh noodles, or 4 or 5 minutes for dried. Drain well.

　　

Step 5

To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls and top each with 1 cup hot broth. Garnish each with one-fourth of the snow peas, red onion, and wakame, and stir gently.

　　Takashi's Noodles