There is more to Japanese cuisine than sashimi and sushi. Eram Agha tasted soba noodles from the land of the rising sun
Popularity of Japanese cuisine in Delhi made some food soothsayers bite the dust. The raw offerings did appeal the spice loving, curry craving locals, who now plan Japanese food outings. But Chef Nariyoshi Nakamura, also called father of Japanese cuisine in India, says there is still a long way to go. “We are yet not there, a lot still needs to be explored from your side and introduced from our side. We have a counter in the hotels not the restaurants that serve Japanese food exclusively,” he said at the new promotions of Japanese noodles and tempura at the Pan-Asian restaurant, WelcomSheraton.
Before exploring the unfamiliar territory of Soba (buckwheat) noodles, I played with known tastes of Itawsa — fish cake sashimi. It was sweet in taste, which is why the pretty platter had soya sauce and the condiment made from mixing green mustard and wasabi. Be careful of the dose of the condiment as the combination of the two pungent ingredients can devastate your palate. (Save the idea of serving green mustard and wasabi ladoos for a great revenge.)
The chef surprised me when he took care to walk up to my table and demonstrated the right way to eat soba noodles — there is only one way to enjoy and that is by way of ‘half dipping them in soy sauce bowl and then slurping.’ That’s what he did with Zaru — the cold buckwheat noodles with seaweed wasabi spring onion and soba sauce. He came, he rolled and he dipped and slurped! There is an option of having cold noodles in Japan. In hot weather they are beneficial and in cold weather people like to eat hot ones.
“There are many kinds of noodles in Japan made of buckwheat or soba, green tea, plums and the fat ones are called Udon noodles. The toughest one is to prepare noodles from buckwheat. We need to take care of the consistency, and cut the noodles of the same size. I don’t prepare it here, we get it from Japan,” he said and added, “Buckwheat is the healthier option. It is an ideal lunch. It is popular in Japan because the light meal saves them from falling into the post lunch lethargy or idleness. They don’t feel too heavy to go back to work.”
Next offering was Tempura Soba — hot buckwheat noodles served with crunchy prawns. “Tempura is Japanese version of Indian pakoras and French fritters. But tempura is healthier as the prawns are made with wheat flour and not the white one,” he said. All those who like meaty meals can pick hot soba with roast duck breast. A healthy lunch added to the wealth of culinary experience… and as for knowing the cuisine of Japan it was ‘soba so good’.