“Like matcha, ingredients such as kombu seaweed and furikake are now more easily available in supermarkets, Asian stores and online. For a simpler version of the broth in this recipe, you can use miso instead of the kombu and lemon grass, and add the matcha, mirin and tamari as below.“

1 sheet of kombu

400 ml (14 fl oz)vegetable stock (broth)

1 lemon grass stalk, bashed

4–6 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 teaspoons matcha powder

1 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoons tamari

200 g (7 oz) matcha noodles

200 g (7 oz) firm tofu, cut into cubes

2 teaspoons nori flakes

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 pak choi, roughly chopped

Squeeze of lime juice

Baby salad leaves, to garnish (optional)

To make the dashi broth, put the kombu into a saucepan with the hot vegetable stock, lemon grass, shiitake mushrooms and matcha powder. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Discard the kombu and lemon grass, then add the mirin and tamari.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the noodles and simmer for about 6 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until cooked. Drain, then refresh with cold water before adding to the broth.

Put the tofu into a bowl, sprinkle over the nori flakes and sesame seeds and toss to mix thoroughly.

Heat the sesame oil in a pan and sauté the pak choi over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.

To assemble, divide the broth and noodles between bowls and top with the tofu and pak choi. Squeeze over the lime juice and garnish with baby salad leaves, if using.