FRESH VEGAN Issue 4

Organic Japanese Skinny Soba Somen Noodles
48
Quick to cook, delicious flavour and
easily digested, Clearspring Organic
Skinny Soba Somen Noodles are
satisfying and versatile. Artisan
family producers slowly air dry and
mature these noodles to concentrate
their flavour.
They can be used all year round in
a wide range of Asian and Western
dishes, including piping hot noodles
in broth, satisfyingly rich stir fries,
and succulent summer salads.
Clearspring Japanese Noodles are
made to traditional recipes, and are
all egg-free and certified organic.
What makes them special?
Traditional, slow dried organic
noodles from Japan. Dried at room
temperature rather than artificially
dried at 60-80 degrees.
Authentically made using the roll and
cut method, not by the conventional
force extruded method. Firm, smooth
noodles, satisfying and versatile
Ingredients: Wheat flour* (57%),
buckwheat flour* (40%), sea salt.
*Organically grown
Product weight - 200g
Health Benefits of Soba
The Japanese, after centuries of
eating noodles, have developed
a deep respect for the health
enhancing properties of soba. Soba
noodles are made using buckwheat,
which despite its name is unrelated
to wheat and contains no gluten.
The amount of buckwheat in soba
varies from 40% to 100% and it
gives the noodles their characteristic
dark colour and rich, nutty taste.
Buckwheat also provides significant
health benefits.
Buckwheat contains about 12-15%
protein, including the essential
amino acid lysine which is lacking
in most cereal grains. Buckwheat
also contains lipids, the minerals
iron, phosphorus and copper and
vitamins B1 and B2.
Buckwheat is very high in rutin,
which is an essential nutrient, not
found in other cereal grains, that
helps strengthen capillaries and
support a healthy circulatory system.
Rutin belongs to a group of plant
compounds called bioflavonoids that
recent studies (1) have shown act as
powerful antioxidants.
Choline, another important micronutrient
found in buckwheat, plays
an important role in metabolism,
particularly regulating blood pressure
and liver function.
As a neutralizing agent, choline
can support the liver when it
is overburdened by alcoholic
beverages (2). It makes sense that
soba noodles and broth are often
served in Japan after big parties and
at the end of an evening’s drinking.
How to make Skinny Soba Somen
Noodles
To prepare bring 2L of water to the
boil, add noodles (100g per serving)
and stir. Simmer for 3 minutes then
rinse briefly under cold water. Serve
all year round in hot broths, chilled
with a dipping sauce or with a
dressing for a fresh summer salad.
Producer’s Story
Our supplier has been producing
Japanese dried noodles for over
a century and celebrated its 100th
anniversary in 2006.
Production Process
The key to the great tasting noodles
is to allow plenty of time when
mixing the dough and drying the
noodles. They use a custom-made
super mixer, which mixes the dough
at low temperatures for an hour and
a half which promotes rapid gluten
formation.
This process will create the firm
texture the Japanese call “Koshi”
and the finished product is similar
in style to the very traditional handkneaded
noodle (“Teuchi” udon).
The drying process is also important
and our producer uses a chain slow
air dryer. This slowly air dries and
matures the noodles to concentrate
their flavour. Another advantage of
using this type of dryer is that they
can adjust the air speed for different
kinds of noodles.
Combined with their experience
and craftsmanship, they are able to
produce consistently good quality
noodles throughout the year in
different seasons, temperatures and
humidity.
Nowadays the majority of noodle
producers make production efficiency
a priority – one whole day is usually
enough to mix, dry and pack the
noodles. In contrast, our producer
spends 2 days on thin noodles (e.g.
somen and soba), and 3 days on
udon and this is just the time taken
to dry them!!