The Fastest Dinner in Philly

The ginger beer is coming along. With two batches down, I have yet to achieve the perfect balance of overpowering ginger flavor and delicate carbonation. More tinkering will be done. I'll share when I've gotten the recipe just right.

That's not actually my excuse for not blogging. My completely excellent excuse is that the Philly Live Arts and Fringe Festival is on, and I'm seeing 24 shows in two weeks. So far, six down (three fantastic, two good, one meh), 18 to go by September 15.

I did this kind of manic theater race last year, too, and it was a blast -- but it doesn't lend itself to awesome cooking experiences. I'm lucky to cram a slice of pizza into my mouth while biking from venue to venue.

Tonight, however, I felt the need for a wholesome, light yet filling home-cooked meal, so I turned to a recipe that I made up years ago. It's so simple, in fact, that I blush to call it a recipe. However, it's delicious, quick, and actually pretty good for you.

Soba Salad

soba noodles
lettuce
sesame oil
seasoned rice vinegar
some sort of protein -- chicken, steak, tofu, whatever -- if desired

Put some salted water on to boil. When it reaches a full boil, drop in 1-2 packets of soba noodles (These come bound with a plastic ribbon, several to the package. I'm sure they have a proper name, but I don't know it.) Stir. Check the noodles at 4 minutes, no matter what the package says. If you buy them at an Asian grocery store, as I do, you may not be able to read the package anyway. Because it's in Japanese.

While the water boils and the noodles cook, wash the lettuce. Roughly chop as much as you want and arrange in a heap on the plates.

Stir together equal parts sesame oil and seasoned rice vinegar (about 1.5 teaspoons of each for two servings) in a cup.

If you want protein, cook it up. Season with salt and pepper. A quick fry will do nicely.

When the soba is done, with a bit of give left in the soft noodles, drain and rinse with cold water until barely warm. Mound noodles on top of the lettuce. Drizzle dressing over the salad. Top with protein slices.

That's it. Takes about 10 minutes, if you get your timing right. Yum.