Soba Noodles With Ginger Broth and Crunchy Ginger
This noodle dish celebrates the pungent, spicy notes of ginger by both infusing it in stock to create a warming broth and frying it with shallots and panko to create crunchy ginger crumbs you’ll want to sprinkle onto everything: eggs, rice or even a savory porridge. Feel free to double the amount of the ginger crumbs, if you like; they’ll keep in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to one week. Serve these noodles with your protein of choice — tofu, fish, leftover roast chicken — or any cooked vegetable for a complete meal.
FOR THE TOPPINGS:
6 tablespoons/90 milliliters olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons red-pepper (chilli) flakes
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger (about 30 grams), peeled and finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup/20 grams panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon white and black sesame seeds
Kosher salt
FOR THE BROTH:
2 ¼ cups/500 milliliters chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger (about 65 grams), peeled and roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small head of garlic, halved crosswise
FOR THE NOODLES:
7 to 9 ounces/about 200 grams dried soba noodles
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
⅓ cup/10 grams roughly chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
First, prepare the toppings:
Add 4 tablespoons oil to a large skillet and heat gently over medium. Place the red-pepper (chilli) flakes and paprika into a small heatproof bowl. Once the oil is quite hot but not smoking, pour it over the spices. Set aside to infuse as you make the ginger crumbs.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same skillet and heat over medium-high. Once hot, turn the heat back down to medium and add the ginger and shallot. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until nicely browned and starting to crisp. Add the panko, sesame seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes more, stirring often, until nicely toasted. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the broth:
Add all the broth ingredients plus 3/4 cup/200 milliliters water and 1 teaspoon salt to a medium lidded saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover once simmering, turn the heat down to low and cook for 25 minutes. Drain through a sieve set over a bowl, discarding the solids, and return the broth to the saucepan along with another 1 1/4 cups/300 milliliters hot water. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.
Prepare the noodles:
Boil them in a pot or saucepan according to package instructions, or for 5 minutes in plenty of boiling water. Drain well and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Return the drained noodles to the pot or saucepan and toss with the lime juice, soy sauce and cilantro (coriander).
Serve:
Divide the warm broth across four bowls, then use a fork to twist and gather the noodles and nest them artfully in the bowls. Top with a spoonful of the ginger crumbs and the chile oil, serving the remaining alongside.
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