Main ingredients

• 100 –120g 100% buckwheat soba noodles
• 150 g chicken breast 1 piece, skinless, membrane removed; thaw if frozen and pat dry

Vegetables

• 100 g cucumber ½ piece, grated with skin for crunch
• 50 g carrot ¼ piece, grated; optional: blanch for 10s to reduce raw taste while keeping crunch
• 20 g cilantro 1 small bunch; stems chopped into 0.5cm pieces, leaves cut into 1cm segments; substitute with scallions if preferred
• 20 g lemon ¼ piece; cut into thin slices, then diced; use both juice and pulp for freshness
• 5 g chili 1 piece, deseeded and sliced into rings; skip if not spicy, or use 2 for more heat
• 10 g garlic 2 cloves, finely minced — do not skip

Seasonings

For cooking chicken breast:

• 5 g ginger 2 slices
• 5 ml cooking wine 1 tsp; substitute beer or water if needed

For the all-purpose dressing:

• 5 g salt 1 tsp
• 15 ml light soy sauce 3 tsp
• 10 ml oyster sauce 2 tsp; substitute with 5ml soy sauce + 1g sugar if unavailable
• 5 ml vinegar 1 tsp; use black vinegar or rice vinegar; reduce to 0.5 tsp if you prefer less sourness; apple cider vinegar adds fruitiness
• 5 g fine sugar 1 tsp; or replace with 5g erythritol for no calories
• 3 ml sesame oil 1 small tsp; use sparingly
• 5 ml chili oil 1 tsp; replace with peppercorn oil for a numbing aroma, or skip if avoiding spicy