Soba Noodles — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Traditional Japanese buckwheat noodles served cold with a dipping sauce or hot in a savory dashi broth. Hand-cut soba making is considered an art form requiring years of apprenticeship to master.

Ingredients

200g dried soba noodles
400ml dashi stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 sheet nori seaweed, cut into strips
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 tablespoon grated daikon radish

Instructions

1 Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a vigorous boil and cook the soba noodles for four to five minutes, stirring gently to prevent them from sticking together.
2 Drain the cooked noodles and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water while gently rubbing them to remove all surface starch for a clean texture.
3 Prepare the dipping sauce by combining the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bringing it to a brief boil, then cooling it completely.
4 Arrange the chilled soba noodles on a bamboo draining mat or plate and garnish with nori strips, sliced green onions, grated daikon, and a small mound of wasabi.
5 Serve the cold dipping sauce in individual cups alongside the noodles, allowing each person to mix in wasabi and daikon to their preferred taste before dipping.

Did You Know?

Japanese people eat toshikoshi soba on New Year Eve because the long noodles symbolize longevity, and biting through them represents cutting away the hardships of the past year.