When I sat down to think of a recipe for this month’s whole grains and super foods theme, the first thought that sprung to mind is a recipe with super natural food qualities. It is a little story from my wife’s family that I remember from the times we have visited them in Japan through the cold winter months of the New Years break.
The Toshikoshi soba is traditionally eaten on the last day of the year as a part of the ritual to reflect on the year past and to wish for a good new year. The story goes; soba noodle being of long length will impart long life to those who consume it.
My mother-in-law likes to serve the soba cold to retain the noodles texture. So even though it is quite often snowing outside and well below zero, having the cold soba served with hot broth and crispy tempura keeps us warm inside (or may be it’s the sake).
