January sure is flying by, isn’t it? We’re already halfway through the month! This is crazy! Only 17 days ago we celebrated the new calendar year. But do you know what other new year is rolling around?
Chinese New Year is coming just around the corner, and I can’t exactly say I’m ready for it. By the stroke of midnight on January 31, the calendar shifts over from the current Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse!
A few weeks ago I went to the Chinese Lantern Festival in Dallas and they devoted a whole section to the Chinese Zodiac. I’ve heard a couple different legends on how Chinese New Year began, but the one presented at the Chinese Lantern Festival was that once upon a time, the Jade Emperor summoned all the animals to a meeting. Only 11 of them, plus the dragon, arrived, and the Jade Emperor rewarded them by giving each of them a calendar year in the order that they arrived in. Because the Rat arrived first, it got the first calendar year that begins the 12-year Chinese Zodiac.
There were so many beautiful lanterns that I’ll have to share with you closer to Chinese New Year on Kuya’s Notebook! In case you were wondering, people born in the Year of the Tiger like myself are in for a pretty good year—except for some minor health problems, because many social events will tempt with rich food! Personally, that sounds more exciting than worrying. 
It’s customary to have some sort of long noodles on Chinese New Year Day, so I thought you might like a new noodle recipe to try. This is a green tea soba noodle salad which tastes amazing and is surprisingly filling despite not being very high in calories, which is good for any of you on some sort of diet or trying to count your calories. Also, it’s a great side dish to add along your other Meatless Monday meals (which is a great way to positively impact your health even without going fully or mostly vegetarian)!
Enjoy! Gong Xi Fa Cai! (恭禧發財)
Green Tea Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the salad dressing
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger
For the soba noodle salad
- 3 bundles of green tea soba noodles
- ½ mango, julienned
- ½ red bell pepper, julienned
- ½ hothouse cucumber, cut in thin, round slices
- mandarin oranges (optional)
- nori (optional)
Directions
- Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and grated ginger in a small bowl and set aside.
- Boil water and add the soba noodles. Cook according to package instructions.
- Peel the ½ mango and slice into julienned cuts.
- Cut the ½ red bell pepper and take out the seeds. Cut into julienned slices, just like the mango.
- Using only ½ of a hothouse cucumber, wash and cut into thin, round slices.
- Once the noodles are cooked, pour into strainer and wash with tap water.
- Combine the salad dressing, noodles, and veggies, then serve.
