Soba noodles (pronounced “sorba”) are a Japanese buckwheat noodle, generally eaten cold in salads. They usually contain a certain percentage of wheat flour as well so aren’t gluten free, but if you hunt around (usually in Asian stores) there are some brands which are 100% buckwheat.

Rather than using stir-fry style beef for this dish I prefer to grill whole porterhouse steaks and slice them finely once they’re cooked and rested.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms add great flavour and a luscious slippery texture to this dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

270gm Soba noodles

500gm porterhouse steak

2 punnets shiitake mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick

1 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

1 bunch choy sum

2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

½ bunch eschallots, finely sliced

½ bunch coriander, washed and roughly chopped

100ml soy sauce

40ml rice wine vinegar

10ml sesame oil

Method:

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the choy sum for 30 seconds.

Refresh in iced water and squeeze with your hands to remove all excess water.

Chop roughly and transfer to a mixing bowl.

In the same saucepan of boiling water cook the noodles for 2 -3 minutes, strain and rinse under cold water.

Season the porterhouse steaks and grill until cooked to your liking. (I recommend medium rare/medium) Rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

Sauté the shitake mushrooms in a hot pan with the peanut oil until golden.

Mix together the noodles, beef, mushrooms, choy sum, sesame seeds, eschallots and coriander.

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and toss through the noodles.

Divide between 4 bowls and serve immediately.