Soba in Shadyside specializes in seared rare tuna
Soba restaurant is a survivor.
Opened in 1996 by the Big Burrito restaurant group as the Soba Lounge, it became a popular nightclub and eatery frequented by the hip and cool in Pittsburgh. The nightclub upstairs closed in 2000, then an electrical fire in May 2001 shut down the Shadyside restaurant for a year.
Faulty wiring in the basement of the three-story brick building apparently started the three-alarm fire, which smoldered for several hours and caused major smoke and water damage.
When Soba reopened in May 2002, customers were pleased to discover that the menu, which changes daily, still featured exciting Pan-Asian cuisine. New York architect Riva Sloan had redesigned the restaurant from top to bottom, including an amazing three-story stone wall where water pours continuously over the slate.
Original Asian artwork adorns the walls. Dark wood floors and chocolate-brown chairs are a pleasing contrast to the cream-colored tablecloths and napkins. Every table setting features a set of chopsticks.
Executive chef Jamie Achmoody, who helped open Soba as a sous chef, still wows the customers, taking culinary influences from India, Japan, Thailand, China, Korea and Europe to create unusual, eclectic and tasty dishes. Vegetarians frequent Soba because several entrees are vegan and the restaurant hosts a vegetarian tasting dinner every month.
Soba features pad thai, the traditional dish of thai noodles, shrimp, chicken and tofu; pan-seared trout with jumbo lump crabmeat stuffing; seared filet mignon with wild mushroom truffle jus and goat cheese-scallion mashed potatoes; crispy spaghetti squash cakes atop garlic linguine; and spicy red curry tofu with peanuts, potatoes, baby squash and thai basil in coconut milk.
The most popular item, Achmoody says, is the sesame-seared rare tuna, served with a Korean barbecue sauce, ginger fried rice, cucumber and red onion salad and house kim chee (a spicy fermented cabbage side dish).
Achmoody chose to share the delectable tuna recipe with Cooking Class. The sushi-grade fish, flown in from Florida's Finest, is unbelievably succulent. The chef covers the tuna with salt and sesame seeds, then sears it in soybean oil in a hot wok for just a minute on each side for rare doneness.
"We go through over 100 pounds of tuna a week," Achmoody says. "The highest percentage of our sales is from tuna."
Using a wok can be tricky, he says. His kitchen has a wok station, where two huge woks and a smaller one sit in a cooking table high atop gas burners. Water covers the bottom of the cooking table, helping to keep the temperature even.
"The wok beat is a monster," Achmoody says, turning on the burner. "When working on woks, everything is very quick. Timing is everything."
Prepare the Korean barbecue sauce and cucumber salad a couple of hours in advance. The white rice should be cooked and chilled, preferably overnight. Kim chee, Korean pepper paste and fish sauce are available at Korean markets and many other Asian markets and in some supermarkets.
Sesame Seared Rare Tuna in a
Korean Barbecue Sauce with
Ginger Fried Rice, Cucumber
and Red Onion Salad,
Kim Chee, and Peanuts
- Korean Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)
- 2 (6- to 8-ounce) tuna steaks
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Sesame seeds, to taste
- Ginger Fried Rice (recipe follows)
- Vegetable oil, for sauteing
- Bottled kim chee, to taste
- Roasted peanuts, to taste
- Cucumber and Red Onion Salad (recipe follows)
Prepare the Korean Barbecue Sauce. Simmer over low heat.
Season the tuna steaks on both sides with salt, pepper and sesame seeds <!-- ( see Photo 1, above ) --> . Set aside.
Prepare the Ginger Fried Rice. Set aside.
Prepare the tuna: Heat a wok or medium saute pan until very hot. Add oil <!-- ( Photo 2 ) --> and quickly sear both sides of the tuna steaks. (If you prefer more doneness, place the tuna in a hot oven to continue cooking.)
To assemble the dish: Divide the fried rice between 2 dinner plates. Lean the tuna on the rice, then place the desired amount of kim chee beside the rice. Top the fish with some of the barbecue sauce <!-- ( Photo 3) --> , then sprinkle with peanuts.
Serve with Cucumber and Red Onion Salad.
Makes 2 servings.
Korean Barbecue Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 white onions, cut in large dice
- 1/4 cup fresh garlic, rough chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger root, rough chopped
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup Korean pepper paste
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Place the onions and garlic in the hot oil and cover the pan to allow them to "sweat" until translucent and lightly browned. Add the ginger root and cook until it becomes aromatic.
Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree, strain and let cool.
Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
For the dressing:
- 2 cups rice vinegar
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
For the salad :
- 1 large cucumber, split lengthwise, seeded
- 1 red onion, julienned
To make the dressing : Combine all dressing ingredients in a saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.
To make the salad : Cut the cucumber into thin half-moon shapes. Mix with the onion, then toss with the cooled dressing. Let marinate for at least 1 hour.
Ginger Fried Rice
- Vegetable oil, for sauteing
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
- 3 cups cooked rice, chilled
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
Heat a wok or medium saute pan. Add the vegetable oil.
To the hot oil, add the ginger, garlic and cilantro. Saute quickly -- do not burn.
Add the cold rice and saute quickly to warm it <!-- ( Photo 4 ) --> . Add the sesame oil and fish sauce. Saute quickly, then remove from the heat.
Additional Information:
More Information
Soba is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is at 5847 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside, (412) 362-5656, bigburrito.com . Reservations are necessary on weekends and are recommended during the week.
