Okinawan Soba

I know it's been a really long time since I last posted anything here, but being back home has been more "fun" than I expected. First off, I didn't realize how expensive things in "paradise" AKA Hawaii have gotten so the amount of baking and cooking I can do has been severely affected by it. But that will not stop me from making things when I get the opportunity to!

Recently, after getting in touch with a friend in Japan and saying goodbye to two friends who are going to spend part of their summer in Japan, I got a little homesick for Okinawa. I wasn't born or raised there (even though at times I wish I had been) it become somewhat of a second home for me after spending three weeks there in 2006. Since I can't afford to make a random trip to Okinawa I decided I'd make some Okinawan food for old times sake. ^__^ AND HERE'S THE PRODUCT!!!


Okinawan food is basically a mixture of Chinese and Japanese food (huge generalization but it's true in many respects). I love the simple flavors of Okinawan cuisine because they are bolder and pack more of a punch than most Japanese cuisine. This dish can be prepared like yakisoba (as shown below) or in a broth. Today was a little too hot for me, so I opted to make it the yakisoba way. ^__^ It was my first time making it so I'm quite happy with the results. Next time if there's a decent cut of pork belly available, I'll make some rafute or soki to go along w/ it.

OKINAWAN SOBA

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 teaspoon ginger, minced*
1/2 cup diced meat of your choice
(I used turkey since that's what we had on hand...but I'd recommend pork since it's a must have in Okinawan cuisine)
1 tablespoon dashi soup stock
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon shoyu
Okinawan soba noodles
Green onions for garnish
Pepper

In a large saute pan on medium-high heat, saute the onion, carrot, bean sprouts, and ginger until the vegetables are soft. Season with pepper (salt isn't necessary since you'll get enough sodium from the dashi and the shoyu). The meat I used was precooked, but if you aren't using precooked meat, remove the vegetables before cooking the meat, then add the vegetables back into the pan once the meat is thoroughly cooked. After the meat is warmed through/cooked, add the dashi which has been dissolved in the 3/4 cup water. Since the noodles came with dashi soup stock, I used about half of what was provided since I didn't want the noodles to be too salty. Then add the noodles and cook until all the dashi soup stock has been absorbed by the noodles. Finally, add the shoyu (this amount can also be changed depending on how the noodles already taste). Garnish with green onion and then ENJOY!!!

Easy right? I'll keep playing around with this recipe. There was a little something missing that I can't put my finger on....

*I know that some people aren't a fan of ginger, but I really do think it is necessary for this dish. The bite of the ginger gives the depth of the noodles more depth and a bit of freshness. So for those who aren't huge ginger fans (I can be like this at times) just grate the same amount of ginger and use the juices from the ginger to flavor the noodles. ^__^

~CaKeTenDer Chan