It’s time for another Try The World review (see my first here)!  In my Japan box, I had: Otafuku Foods okonomiyaki kit; Aoi Tea blueberry match tea; House Foods ginger paste; Takaokaya seaweed snack; Akagi soba noodles; Kasugai gummy candies; and Morinaga milk caramels.  I thought that those butter coconut cookies came in the box, but I actually must have picked them up at the Asian grocery store.  So, ignore those (but really don’t, cuz they are super awesome and yummy).

The caramels are are firm and not super sweet, I like them a lot.  I haven’t tried the tea, gummies, or okonomiyaki kit yet; but I used the rest to make Zaru Soba.

Zaru Soba is a cold soba dish usually made in the summer (whatever, don’t judge me).  The noodles are cooked, then rinsed, chilled, and drained.  Normally, you would serve them on a woven bamboo mat that lets the extra water drain out; but I don’t have those!  So I dried them on paper towels.

The noodles are topped with seaweed and sesame seeds just before serving, and dipped in a sauce made of dashi, soy, mirin, sake, sugar, and ginger paste.  Wasabi and scallions are served on the side and mixed into the sauce to taste. (more…)