Green Tea Soba with Nori Pesto

Green Tea Soba is one of my favorite pastas. I love its hearty taste and texture, and of course there’s that vibrant green color reminding us that it’s actually healthy. I often use green tea soba in soup noodle recipes, but when I have seaweed on hand in the pantry, I love serving it with Nori Pesto.

Nori Pesto is like a winter version of regular pesto. This sauce is darker in color and rich with umami flavor. Along with green tea soba, the two ingredients are a play on vegetal flavors.

A soak in warm water for a few minutes and the nori is ready to use. Soaked and drained, nori can look kind of intimidating, but after the ground pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and other ingredients are added, the result is a pesto that’s just slightly darker in color than a traditional pesto.To brighten up the savory richness of this pesto, add some lemon zest and juice to the finished dish. You might also want to add some extra olive oil or starchy water (the water used to boil the soba) to lighten the noodles.Green Tea Soba with Nori Pesto is a nutritious side dish to serve along with grilled meats, dumplings, or in a bento. It’s also perfect as a meal by all by itself, when you’re craving a simple bowl of pasta that’s a bit different from the usual.

This post is sponsored by Yamamotoyama

Green Tea Soba with Nori Pesto 

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

5 sheets nori, soaked in warm water for a few minutes until softened & plump, then drained well (I used Yamamotoyama’s Kiku Ariake)

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp salt

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 olive oil, plus more for tossing noodles

zest of 1 lemon, plus some of its juice

sesame seeds

1 lb. green tea soba, cooked according to package instructions, then drained and rinsed with cold water

Equipment:

large bowl

large fine mesh strainer

food processor, with steel blade

large pot, to boil soba

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soak the nori in warm water for a few minutes until it becomes softened and plump. Drain the nori through a fine mesh strainer, making sure to let all of the excess water drain out. Place the strained nori back in the bowl and set aside.

2. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind the pine nuts to a fine crumble. Add this to the strained nori, then add the parmesan, salt, garlic, olive oil, and lemon zest.

3. To serve, toss the pesto with the cooked noodles, adding some more olive oil if necessary. Top the soba with sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice to serve.

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