Soba with Grilled Asparagus and Sea Scallops with Sweet Miso Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 servings pepper black freshly ground
• 3 tablespoons mirin 
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 0.3 cup rice wine 
• 18  scallops 
• 10 ounces soba noodles dried
• 36 medium asparagus 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 0.3 cup vegetable oil 
• 12  walnut halves lightly toasted coarsely chopped
• 0.3 cup miso white

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• whisk
• pot
• grill
• grill pan

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, sake, mirin, and rice vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Add the white miso, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the oil and whisk until well combined. Set the miso glaze aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 3 minutes.
4. Drain, shock under cold running water, and drain again.
5. Heat a well-oiled grill pan over medium heat.
6. Brush the asparagus and scallops with all or most of the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the asparagus first until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes total, rolling them about to heat them evenly all around. Divide and top each noodle serving with asparagus. Grill the scallops in the same pan until cooked through and crisp on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Divide the scallops among the servings of noodles, and spoon some miso glaze over each.
7. Serve garnished with toasted walnuts.
8. To toast the walnut halves, put them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, being sure to shake the pan so as not to burn the pieces.
9. Remove from the pan and cool slightly before chopping.
10. From Noodles Every Day: Delicious Asian Recipes from Ramen to Rice Sticks by Corinne Trang. Text copyright © 2009 by Corinne Trang. Photographs copyright © 2009 by Maura McEvoy. Published by Chronicle Books.