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Scissor-Cut Buckwheat Noodles with Miso Butter

by Mark Bittman
summerdinnervegetarian
Yield: 4 servingsTotal: PT45M
Source: https://bittmanproject.com/recipe/scissor-cut-buckwheat-noodles-with-miso-butter/

Ingredients

produce
  • scallions
dairy
  • 3 tablespoonbutter(cold)
grain
  • 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1 cupbuckwheat flour(plus more for flouring the noodles)
pantry staple
  • 3/4 teaspoonsalt(plus more as needed)
other
  • ground chile or hot sauce(optional)
  • 2/3 cupwater(boiling)
  • 1/4 cupmiso

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to boil. Put the flours, salt, and boiling water into a medium bowl; stir with a fork or soft spatula until combined. Have a small bowl of tap water next to your work station.
  2. Knead the dough in the bowl with wet hands, dipping them a few times in bowl of water as you go, and shape a ball of dough that’s smooth, crack-free, and somewhat elastic. (This takes just a couple minutes.) Cover the dough with a damp towel and rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.
  3. Trim and chop the scallions, keeping white and green parts separate. Whisk the miso in a small bowl with 3/4 cup tap water. Cut the butter into several small pieces and keep it cold until you make the sauce.
  4. When the dough and boiling water are ready, transfer the miso-water mixture to a large skillet and turn the heat to medium low. When it steams, whisk in the butter a couple pieces at a time. Keep the sauce warm over low heat while you cook the noodles.
  5. Sprinkle a dinner plate with some buckwheat flour. Hold the dough ball in your non-dominant hand and, working from the outside toward the center, snip bits the size of pasta shells so that they fall onto the plate. When you’re done, carefully scrape the noodles into the boiling water. (Or if you’re comfortable working over the pot, snip the noodles into the boiling water; to avoid splashing, keep your hands near the edge of the pot, away from the steam.) You can also pinch little bits of dough off for more ragged edges.
  6. The noodles will sink, then rise and float to the top. Keep the water bubbling steadily but gently and cook until the noodles plump up and start to lighten and develop a craggy texture on their surface, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on their size. When you break one open it should be the same color and density throughout.
  7. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer the noodles to the sauce. Add the scallion whites and toss, adding some of the reserved water as needed to make a sauce that coats the noodles. Taste and add salt and/or chile if you’d like. Garnish with the scallion greens and serve.