Soba Noodle Bowl with Shiitake

For the dressing:
Peel the skin off the orange. Avoid too much of the white stuff, because it is very bitter. Once done, juice the orange.

Grate ginger. Finely chop the shallot, garlic and chili pepper. Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk. Set aside.

For the soba noodles:
Trim the ends of the sugar snap peas. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a big pot. If you have a steamer insert or steaming basket, use this to steam the sugar snap peas for 5 minutes. Steaming will make the sugar snap peas crisp and retain their bright green colour. Alternatively, you can cook the sugar snap peas in boiling water. Reduce cooking time and make sure you stop the cooking process by soaking the sugar snap peas in ice cold water afterwards (this step is not needed for steaming).

Bring water to a boil in a big pot. Once boiling, add soba noodles and reduce heat to simmer. Cook soba noodles for about 5 minutes. Soba noodles can overcook easily, so please do keep an eye on them.

Once cooked, pour the soba noodles into a colander. Fill cooking pot with fresh cold water. Transfer soba noodles back in the cooking pot. This next step is important! Wash the soba noodles thoroughly to rinse off the excess starch. This step ensures your soba noodles will not become sticky. Drain and rinse the noodles again in the colander.

Put a nonstick skillet on the stovetop on medium heat. Once hot, add shiitakes with a splash of water. Put a lid on top to retain moisture. Cook for 5–10 minutes.

Once done, transfer shiitake mushrooms to a separate bowl. Add shichimi togariashi spice mix, salt and sesame oil.

Chop cucumber, basil and cilantro. Combine soba noodles, sugar snap peas, cucumber, basil and cilantro on to a serving dish or divide evenly among serving bowls. Add shiitake mushrooms on top. Pour dressing over the soba noodles and get ready to enjoy! Bon apétit!