Soba for When You’re Sick

Ugh and ack, I am sick. Sick, sick, sick—and sick of being sick! It’s no fun trying to navigate life with a head full of snot (sorry, but it’s true). And let’s not talk about the deep-throated cough that rattles both my ribs and the windows at the same time. No fun at all.

How long have you been sick, you might ask? Oh, weeks.

I took it lying down at first—I’ve been doing far too much, I know that. I went to bed and slept for hours, days even. I was okay with the rest.

But then I got a little better—enough to smell things at least. That was a good sign.

Then it got worse, and it’s stayed there for far too long. The weather hasn’t helped either—cold, wet, damp.

Now I’m mad and not going to take it any more. I’m fighting back with soba. I’ve done the soups, the honey and lemon, tea, and even Thai food (a good Tom Yum can break up the congestion, but only for an hour or two). Now it’s time for soba, and a dish that is partly Japanese, partly my invention, all delicious. Even with a cold you can tell.

First you cook the soba, making sure to drain the noodles over a bowl to collect the cooking water.



Chop some bok choy, which is full of Vitamin C—good for cold busting.



Mix your soba tsuyu (see below) and throw the bok choy into the sauce, just to warm it up a bit. Grate some fresh ginger in as well, if you feel you need it (how serious are you about getting rid of this cold?). Pour this over the noodles. Doesn’t that look good? Sprinkle the whole thing with sesame seeds, maybe a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes.



Poach an egg—because you need your protein, after all; this cold busting stuff is hard work. Put the egg on the top of your noodles and break it open so that the thick yolk slowly pours out and mixes with the soba and sauce.

Eat slowly, enjoying the way the soft noodles slip down your throat, soothing it after all that coughing. The bok choy gives a fresh and sweet crunch to the dish, and you know it’s good for you. The ginger, the red pepper, seem to be doing their job. You realize that you can breathe through your nose just a little bit.



But the egg, the egg is glorious. The yolk slicks the noodles, mixes with the sauce, makes everything come together in a way that is as close to perfect as you can think of right now. In fact, you might want to poach another egg once you’re finished with the first (see—your appetite is coming back, that’s good).

And when you’re done, all that’s left is a pool of sauce with a few long noodles and sesame seeds. It’s so good you’re tempted to lift up the dish and drink it down—which you would do without hesitation in Asia, it would be expected. Trot on off to the kitchen and pour that sauce into a smaller bowl, more suitable for slupring. You don’t want to miss any little bit.

You’re feeling better already.



SOBA FOR WHEN YOU’RE SICK
Serves one, multiply as needed

Soba are Japanese buckwheat noodles. They are usually made with some wheat flour, but 100% soba is available for those who need to eat gluten-free.

Soba tsuyu (pronounced “sue-you”) is the dipping sauce for zaru soba and the broth base for soba soups. It can be purchased in a bottle, from stores that sell Japanese food products (ask for it if you can’t find it, as the Japanese brands are not always labeled in English), or you can buy packages of soba that include small packets of tsuyu with them. You can also make your own, which is probably not what you want to do if you’re sick. I save the packets for such an occasion, but if you want to make it from scratch, here’s a recipe.



One bundle of soba, or about 90 grams (see photo above)
3/4 cup bok choy, thinly sliced
1 Tbs soba tsuyu (one packet, see photo above)
1-2 eggs
2 tsp distilled vinegar
salt
sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and fresh ginger, as desired.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil on the stove and add the soba noodles, making sure they don’t clump together. Cook until tender to the bite, one stage beyond al dente. Be careful they don’t turn mushy from overcooking.

Drain the noodles, making sure to collect the cooking water in a bowl. Set noodles in a serving bowl.

Thinly slice the bok choy. Cut more to snack on, it’s good for you.

In a small but deep pot, bring to boil 2 cups water, with a pinch of salt and 2 tsp distilled vinegar.

Add 3/4 cup cooking water from the noodles into the same pot you cooked the soba in. Add one tsuyu packet—one tablespoon of tsuyu into the cooking water and return to the stove on medium high heat. Grate the fresh ginger into the sauce (optional). When the sauce as begun to simmer, add the bok choy and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Remove from heat after a minute or two and pour over the noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste.

Poach 1-2 eggs in the water/vinegar mixture. Remove the egg(s) from water and—after rinsing gently, if desired—place on top of the noodles.

Eat and savor. Feel better.