Instructions: My first pleasurable encounter with cold pasta was on a trip to Tokyo. It was Sunday morning and we were on our way to Kamakura, a seaside resort outside the capital. Breakfast was soba noodles eaten with a soy dipping sauce not unlike this one. The noodles are eaten cold, dipped in the sauce. Being the clumsy European I am, I enthusiastically dunked my noodles in the sauce and slurped away - which, I understood, was what you were supposed to do. My hosts started to laugh, not because of my slurping which was quite correct, but because of my dunking. The point, they explained, was to use the soy as a seasoning, not to turf the entire contents of my chopsticks into the bowl. Controlled dipping to about a third of the way in was the tactic they suggested and, sure enough, the flavour of the buckwheat noodles was revealed. I still dislike most cold pasta dishes, but Japanese soba noodles are an exception. To the eagle-eyed among you, the photo is not of soba noodles but of pasta, a perfect substitute.

Cook the noodles in plenty of salted boiling water as you would any pasta.

When they are cooked, drain and plunge into cold water to stop them cooking.

Drain and place in a bowl along with the spring onions, ginger and sesame seeds.

Combine the soy sauce with the chili, sesame oil, wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the noodles, toss well and check seasoning, you may need more soy. Alternatively, you can keep the soy sauce mixture separate and dip, as for soba noodles.

Thread the prawns onto the satay sticks or skewers, lightly brush with vegetable oil and soy sauce and grill for 2 minutes each side, or until cooked.

Serve on top of the noodles.

Serves 4

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