Sublime Mexcan and Puerto Rican Fusion

Hey everyone! this weeks recipe is inspired by my time working at an omakaze and my time studying towards my degree for plant based cuisine. we are using buckwheat noodles for the recipe. Buckwheat noodles are the type of ingredient that feels like a well kept secret and once you have a bowl you wont be able to go back.

According to Professor Lee Ki-joong, from, noodleplanet.co.kr , published noodle stories, states that, “it was introduced from China’s Three Rivers region (Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province, and eastern Tibet border area) through the Korean Peninsula to Tsushima Island in the late Jomon period (3,500-8000 BC) in Japan about 300 years ago.” he also states, “Noodles made from wheat flour first appear in literature from the 9th to 10th centuries, but noodles made from buckwheat appeared much later, in the 15th to 16th centuries.”

another fun fact about buckwheat is that it contains all 9 essential amino acids, so that makes it a complete plant based protein, which is a great reason why vegans/vegetarians love this ingredient.

Health Benefits

According to healthline.com, buckwheat noodles are a good source of,

• zinc
• magnesium
• potassium
• phosphorous
• iron
• manganese
• Thiamin

Buckwheat are also,

• high in protein
• high in soluble fiber
• supports cardiovascular health
• helps control blood sugar
• low in fat
• free of gluten
• a prebiotic food

Procedure

Just like with every recipe, you want to get the simple tasks done first so that you can focus on one task at a time and avoid multitasking while cooking. Once all of your prep work is complete, you’ll be able to focus entirely on cooking and assembling the dish.

The first thing we are prepping is the herbs. What I had on hand this time was cilantro and green onions, so that is what I used. We want a fine chop on the cilantro while being careful not to bruise the herbs. Then, I thinly sliced the green onions.

Next, we prep the carrots by using a box grater to shred them coarsely. We also prep the limes at this point by cutting them into slices or wedges for serving.

we then prep the cucumbers, because these are noodles, we cut longer julienne or match sticks of the cucumber. in this image I’m attempting a Japanese technique named katsura muki, which is a knife skill commonly practiced for daikon radishes and cucumber, according to an article on, “kitchen PROJECTS” on tasteofculture.com. This is my first attempt and I’m using a nakiri and a traditional western style butchers knife.

NOODLE DIPPING SAUCE

In a bowl add in about 1 cup of dashi, 1/2 cup soy sauce,2 tbsp sake and about 1/4 cup of mirin, with grated garlic and thinly sliced jalapenos. once prepped place, date and label and keep in fridge until ready to use. great for meal prep.

SHRIMP PREP

for this recipe i’m using raw shrimp. i’m making sure to remove the shell, cut out the poop lines off of every single one. i make sure to keep ice in the water at all times.

Marinade

FFor this marinade, we got a bit experimental. I used small-diced preserved lemons, finely diced shallots, minced garlic, honey, a splash of champagne vinegar, Thai chili paste, salt, and pepper. I let the shrimp marinate for about 10–15 minutes. The acid from the preserved lemons and vinegar will begin to lightly cure the shrimp, so avoid marinating for too long.

After marinating, place the shrimp on a sheet tray and cook them under the broiler on the high setting, positioning the tray on the highest oven rack. Keep the oven door slightly cracked, turn on the exhaust fan, and cook for no longer than 8 minutes, or until the shrimp are fully cooked.

the last thing we do for the shrimp is make a chimichurri style sauce to coat the shrimp. we add into a bowl. cilantro, green onions, shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper. we toss together as shrimp come out of oven.

Lastly, prepare the noodles according to the package instructions and rinse them gently under very cold water. If prepping in large batches, keep the noodles in an ice bath for no more than 10 minutes, as they will absorb excess water and the texture may change. Alternatively, if the noodles sit too long after rinsing without being tossed or portioned, they may begin to clump together.

Chimichurri Shrimp with Cold Soba

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Servings: 5

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

NOODLES & VEGETABLES

• 1 package buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 cucumber julienned
• 1 carrot coarsely shredded
• 2 limes cut into wedges
• Cilantro finely chopped (for garnish and chimichurri)
• Green onions thinly sliced (for garnish and chimichurri)
• Sesame seeds for garnish
• Wasabi for serving

DIPPING SAUCE

• 1 cup dashi
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 cloves garlic grated
• 1 jalapeño thinly sliced

SHRIMP

• 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined

MARINADE

• 2 tablespoons preserved lemon small dice
• 2 tablespoons shallot finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Thai chili paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

CHIMICHURRI-STYLE SHRIMP SAUCE

• 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons green onions thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon shallot finely diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Start by prepping everything so the cooking process is smooth. Finely chop cilantro and slice green onions, shred carrots, julienne cucumber into long noodle-like strips, and cut limes into wedges.
2. Mix dashi, soy sauce, sake, mirin, grated garlic, and jalapeño for the dipping sauce. Store chilled until serving.
3. For the shrimp, keep them cold while prepping, then peel and devein. Toss with preserved lemon, shallots, garlic, honey, vinegar, chili paste, salt, and pepper. Let marinate 10–15 minutes only.
4. Broil shrimp on a high oven rack for up to 8 minutes until fully cooked, keeping the oven slightly open with ventilation. Once done, immediately toss the shrimp in a quick herb mix of cilantro, green onion, shallot, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Cook buckwheat noodles according to package directions, then rinse under very cold water to stop cooking. Keep chilled briefly if needed but avoid letting them sit too long or they will lose texture.
6. To serve, layer noodles in a bowl, add cucumber, carrots, and shrimp, then serve with dipping sauce and fresh lime wedges.

CITATIONS

https://noodleplanet.co.kr/en/A-short-but-powerful-history-of-Japanese-soba

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/soba-noodles-nutrition#How-to-Cook-Soba-Noodles

https://tasteofculture.com/2025/11/10/project-katsura-muki/