Cold Soba with Homemade Dashi and Olokoi Dipping Sauce

When it's hot out, I don't want anything heavy. This is what I make instead. Cold soba, a quick homemade dashi, and a dipping sauce built on Olokoi. It's light, it's refreshing, and it fills you up without weighing you down.

Making dashi from scratch sounds like a project, but it's mostly waiting. You can do it while you get everything else ready.

For the dashi

• 1 piece of kombu
• 4 cups cold water
• 1 cup bonito flakes

Soak the kombu in the cold water for 10 minutes. Then bring it to a simmer and let it go for another 10. Pull the kombu out.

Add the bonito flakes and let them steep for 10 minutes. Strain, then let the dashi cool completely. It needs to be cold for this dish.

For the dipping sauce

• 1 cup cold dashi
• 1/4 cup Olokoi
• 2 tbsp mirin
• Lots of sliced green onion

Stir it all together and pour it into small bowls for dipping.

For the noodles

Cook your soba according to the package. Rinse them under cold water until they're fully chilled, then drain well.

To serve

Grab some noodles, dip, and eat. That's it.

The Olokoi does a lot here. The citrus brightens up the dashi, the soy gives it depth, and the chili adds a little warmth that keeps every bite interesting. Use Hot if you want more kick.

It's also a meal you can feel good about. Soba is high in fiber, and this whole bowl is low in sugar. Go with 100% buckwheat soba if you want the most fiber.