Tororo Soba (Grated Mountain Yam over Cold Buckwheat)

Ingredients

• 200g fresh soba noodles (or 100g dried, cooked), chilled
• 150g Japanese mountain yam (nagaimo or yamaimo), peeled
• 200ml dashi, chilled (kombu and bonito stock)
• 30ml soy sauce, shoyu
• 10ml mirin, hon-mirin
• 5g nori, torn into strips
• 1 tbsp wasabi, grated fresh, or tube
• Egg yolk, 1, raw (optional, optional for richness)
• Scallion, sliced thin, for garnish

Method

1. 1
   Grate mountain yam on the finest side of a microplane into a small bowl, working quickly to prevent oxidation; it should form a sticky, mucilaginous paste (tororo).
2. 2
   Combine chilled dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a small bowl; whisk gently to combine.
3. 3
   Chill two serving bowls in the freezer for 2 minutes; divide chilled soba noodles between them.
4. 4
   Top each bowl with a generous dollop of tororo (grated yam); place a small nest of nori strips and a dab of wasabi on the side of each bowl.
5. 5
   Pour the chilled dashi mixture into a small cup per serving; if using egg yolk, place it in the center of the tororo topping.
6. 6
   Serve immediately, instructing diners to mix the tororo into the noodles with their chopsticks, add wasabi and scallion to taste, then dip noodles into the dashi broth before eating.