Cold Tea Noodles

A while back I was delighted to find "tea flavored noodles" at a local Asian grocery store - they're a pretty, light green, and I'm planning on making them with a light sprinkling of sesame oil and cashews. Then while browsing recipes at the PCC Natural Market site, I found the recipe below, which sounds wonderful, as well! I adapted it some for RecipeZaar measurement standards. "Keep cool by cooking the noodles in tea the night before serving. The next day, assemble the short list of ingredients, and dinner is on the table. Good during cold and warm weather alike, but it's a perfect warm-weather dish."

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  japanese genmaicha  green tea
• 1⁄2 lb  chinese water  noodles or 1⁄2 lb  japanese udon noodles
• 1 (14 -16 ounce) package firm tofu, well drained
• 1 (3 1/2ounce) package  enoki mushrooms
• 1⁄2 cup radish sprouts, washed and dried (or more to taste)
• 5  scallions, sliced into thin rounds (green onions)
• 1⁄4 cup cilantro leaf
•  light soy sauce, to taste
•  japanese  sesame oil, to taste
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste (or Shichimi togarashi Japanese spice mixture, available at Asian markets)

Directions

1. Bring two quarts water to 180°F (85°C) and add tea. Steep for 3 minutes and pour through a sieve. Reserve liquid for cooking the noodles.
2. Bring the reserved tea to a boil and add noodles. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until noodles are al dente. Remove from heat and allow the noodles to remain in the liquid until it has cooled. Remove noodles from liquid and place in a bowl, covered, overnight in the refrigerator.
3. The next day, put tofu on a plate and cover it with several layers of paper towels. Press any excess moisture from it by placing a two-pound weight on top of the paper towels.
4. Remove weight and paper toweling after 15 minutes. Carefully slice the tofu into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes and set aside.
5. Place noodles on four plates. Scatter tofu and remaining ingredients over all. Serve with soy sauce, sesame oil and seasoning.