Cold Matcha Noodles
There are hundreds of weeknights in a year. That’s a lot of dinner! Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin is here to help. In her series Speedy Does It, she shares whoa-worthy meals you can get on the table like *snaps fingers* that.
Matcha lovers, that delightfully grassy flavor doesn’t need to be restricted to your morning latte. Inspired by chasoba (a variety of buckwheat noodle made with green tea blended right in the dough), this recipe pulls the tea into the sauce component, allowing you to use any wheat noodle you have on hand. Pleasantly bitter matcha powder is whisked with tahini, soy sauce, and a bit of lemon juice to create a balanced, savory, but surprisingly light coating that you’ll want to slurp up all summer long. Don’t skip the instant dashi powder—a powerhouse of flavor, it lends some unexpected depth to the pantry-centric sauce. (If you can find chasoba, feel free to use it in this recipe for a double dose of green tea.)
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What you’ll need
Instant Dashi Powder
$9 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
2 servings
Ingredients
1
1
1
2
1½
½
½
2
2
1
6
Preparation
Step 1
Place 1 Tbsp. dried wakame (seaweed) in a bowl. Pour 1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp. water on top. Let sit to rehydrate until ready to serve.
Step 2
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Combine 2 tsp. matcha, 1½ tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. instant dashi powder in a medium bowl. Add ¼ cup boiling water from pot and whisk until sugar, salt, and dashi are dissolved. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini, and 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice.
Step 3
Cook 6 oz. dried somen or other wheat noodles in pot of boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Let sit 5 minutes.
Step 4
Drain noodles and transfer to bowl with matcha sauce; toss to coat. Divide among shallow bowls; top each with wakame, sliced avocado, sliced radishes, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.