Black Sesame Otsu

Toast the pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan regularly. Add the sesame seeds to the pan and toast for a minute or so longer. It’s hard to tell when they are toasted; look closely and use your nose. Remove from the heat as soon as you smell a hint of toasted sesame; if you let them go much beyond that, you’ll start smelling burned sesame – not good. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush the mixture; the texture should be like black sand. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Once they are ground up, stir in the sugar, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, add the soba noodles, and cook according to the package instructions until tender. Drain, reserving some of the noodle cooking water, and rinse noodles under cold running water.

While the noodles are cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut into matchstick shapes. Season the tofu with a pinch of salt, toss with a small amount of oil, and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, tossing every couple minutes, until the pieces are browned on all sides.

Reserve a heaping tablespoon of the sesame paste, then thin the rest with 1/3 cup of the hot noodle water.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba noodles, half of the green onions, and the black sesame paste (that was mixed with the noodle water). Toss until well combined. Add the browned tofu and toss again gently.

Serve topped with a tiny dollop of the reserved sesame paste and the remaining green onions.