St. Patrick’s Day Japanese Noodles

St. Patrick’s Day always brings back fond memories of Boston. One of the largest populations of Irish is in Boston, MA. The luck o’ the Irish has it that Boston is also home to one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades.

Fun fact: Every year my hometown of Tokyo’s St. Patrick’s parade grows larger and more popular, too.

Summers with my mom in Massachusetts were so different from Tokyo where I spent the school year with my father and stepmother. Hot dogs, scrambled eggs and noodle dishes were the dish du jour at Mom’s. Her talents won her tennis trophies from Wimbledon and around the world. Blue ribbons for her culinary skills were never seen. I didn’t mind. Even in Japan, my go-to was ramen noodles if my Dad and stepmother went on date night.

Fun fact: Japanese ramen noodles were more expensive than soba noodles served in restaurants. In 1958, ramen were a luxury item!

Japanese ramen noodles are also apparently go-to items for American college students. Alongside Japan’s import or ramen, magazines like Bon Appetit are spotlighting matcha green tea. Combining America’s favorite Japanese imports, foodie gurus concocted green tea noodles! At my local Japanese market in Los Angeles, I was forced to choose amongst a wide variety.

Fun fact: The first noodles ever consumed in space were Japanese ramen.

Lesson learned: Read the ingredients list. The Japanese green tea noodles I chose only contain 2% matcha green tea powder. So, the noodles were appropriately green for St. Patrick’s Day. However, there was not even a leprechaun whisper of Japanese green tea. Still, the Japanese noodles and the broth I made were tasty…and reminded me of home.

What’s your favorite green food on St. Patrick’s Day?
Scroll down for more St. Patrick's Day menu inspiration.

St. Patrick’s Day Japanese Noodles

St-Patricks-Day-Japanese-matcha Noodles-NinjaBaker-RECIPE

St. Patrick's Day is all about keeping it green! (Or orange.) Blustery winds may blow outside on March 17th. Take comfort inside with a bowl of St. Patrick's Day Japanese noodles.

Can you keep a secret? The Japanese noodles taste exactly like the delicious noodles you enjoy on any other day of the year!

Adapted from the Kokumotsu Company's Hakubaku noodle package recipe.

Ingredients:

1-package green tea noodles
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin (or dry white wine with ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar)
2 tablespoons sugar
Chopped scallions for garnish

Optional traditional Japanese noodle toppings:

Slices of pork
½ soft-boiled egg
Slices of kamaboko (pressed pollock)
Sprinkles of dried seaweed

Directions:

In the first pan:
In enough water to cover the noodles, bring the water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for six minutes or until done. Drain and rinse quickly in cold water.

In a second pan:
Bring 2¼ cups of water and the shiitake mushrooms to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, Japanese mirin (or dry white wine) and sugar. Cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.

Place the green tea noodles in a bowl. Pour in the soup. Garnish with scallions and any other yummy that appeals to you.