Since it’s currently the season for cold noodles, I’ve updated this extremely popular article a little bit and moved it up from the archives. I’ll also have a follow-up recipe for the ideal side dish to zaru soba soon. Originally published in May 2007.
Summer in Japan is generally very hot and muggy. A variety of cold food dishes have been created as a result of the heat. One of the main cold summer dishes is cold noodles.
Although buckwheat-based soba noodles are available year-round, they become especially popular during the summer. If you’re used to pasta and other Western-style noodles, the way these cold noodles are prepared may seem strange to you. In contrast to pasta, the majority of Japanese noodles, including soba, are vigorously rinsed under cold running water. In addition to cooling them off, this also eliminates extra starch that detracts from the flavor of the noodles. Many English-language recipes omit this crucial rinse step: you actively wash the noodles, not just submerge them in cold water as many instructions mistakenly instruct. After completing this once, you will undoubtedly see a difference. Ive given detailed instructions for this procedure below.
Nothing is more reviving to eat on a hot summer evening than soba noodles dipped in a properly prepared sauce or soba tsuyu and served with plenty of spicy condiments or yakumi.
Cold soba noodles with dipping sauce (Zarusoba)
Because zaru means basket, these soba are presented in a basket.
To serve 4 people
For the sauce (soba tsuyu):
Put the two ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the dashi gradually, tasting after adding about 1 1/2 cups to see if it’s too strong. The more dashi you add, the more intense the sauce will be. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then let cool. You can prepare this a day in advance and chill the tsuyu.
Quick and easy version: Buy a bottle of concentrated tsuyu or mentsuyu, such as this one from Kikkoman, and thin out with water.
The noodles:
Condiments, or yakumi:
Select at least one from:
Cooking the soba noodles
Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. You don’t need to salt the water like you would for Italian pasta. Holding the noodles over the boiling water, sprinkle the noodles in strand by strand.
Stir gently after adding all the noodles to ensure that they are all submerged in the water.
Reboil the water gently once more, then reduce the heat so that it is only simmering. (This differs from the rolling boil thats recommended for pasta. If the water starts to boil over, add about 1/2 cup of cold water (though if you have a large enough pot and lower the heat to a gentle simmer, this shouldn’t be necessary). Cook for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, or as directed on the package (for thinner noodles, 5 to 6 minutes may be sufficient). Eat a strand to check for doneness; it should be cooked through but not mushy.
You might want to set aside some of the cooking water at this point. At the conclusion of the meal, many people like to combine this with the remaining soba dipping sauce to make sobayu (), which translates to hot soba water.
Drain the noodles into a colander. Return them to the pot right away, then add cold water. You might notice that the hot water smells quite floury as you drain it. This is what you want to get totally rid of.
Put the colander on the pot to contain the noodles if they begin to spill out over the edge of the pot. Leave the water running for a while over the noodles.
Start washing the noodles once the water and the noodles have cooled. Swirl and rub a few handfuls in the water gently. Your objective is to wash any remaining starch or gum from the noodles. When youre done the water should run clear.
Prepare a flat sieve; one made of bamboo is ideal and attractive. (You can use a stylish colander in its place, but flat sieves like this are reasonably priced; check Asian markets.) ) Pick up a few noodles at a time.
In order to create a cute little bundle, loop the strands onto the sieve. This is one portion.
If you’re using individual sieves, allow for approximately 10–12 portions per person. Separate each bundle to make it simple to pick them up with chopsticks.
Put a plate underneath the sieve or sieves to catch any drips before serving the noodles. Set out small bowls with your preferred condiments so that each diner can choose what they want. (Don’t forget to set out any small spoons or other items needed for the sesame seeds, etc.) ).
Any container that can hold about a cup or so of liquid can be used as a dipping vessel. You can use a tumbler, a small soup bowl, a rice bowl, etc. Here, I used some tiny pudding molds that I bought at a flea market. (In Japan you can get special soba bowls or sobachoko. ).
The cooled dipping sauce or soba tsuyu should be used to fill each dipping bowl halfway.
To eat, each person adds their preferred condiments, takes a portion of the soba, and briefly dips it in the sauce before eating the soba. Avoid letting the noodle soak up too much sauce or topping it with too many toppings to avoid overpowering the soba’s delicate flavor.
You can finish your meal by incorporating some of the leftover sobayu into the remaining sauce (see above).
The purest soba noodles are produced using only soba or buckwheat flour, water, and salt. Thats really my favorite kind. There are other kinds of soba noodles though. Here, I’ve used one that contains konnyaku powder in some measure (which makes it quite sturdy and supposedly has fewer calories).
Another common variety of soba noodles contains green tea powder, giving it a pleasant green hue. You dont really taste the tea much though.
Freshly made soba noodles are the best, but this can be challenging. I havent actually mastered it yet. Maybe one day.
What to have with soba noodles
Cold soba, cold tofu or hiyayakko, some not-too-salty pickled cucumbers, and ice cold mugicha are some of my favorite summertime dishes. Tempura, which can be dipped in the same sauce, is a popular addition to soba. For some reason, _tempura (battered fritters of vegetables, squid, shrimp, and other seafood), seems to go particularly well with soba. However, making tempura is quite hot and sweaty, so I typically stick to the cold tofu. Submitted by.
If you liked this article, please think about supporting me on Patreon. ^_^.
FAQ
What is a serving of soba noodles?
How many grams buckwheat noodles per person?
The amount of noodles is 400g, or roughly 100 grams per person (see the note below for advice on choosing soba noodles). Most soba comes in 100 or 200 gram packets.
How many grams is a serving of soba noodles?
Foods that are similar to cooked soba noodles from Japan Cooked soba noodles from Japan have 113 calories per 114 g serving. This serving contains 0. 1 g of fat, 5. 8 g of protein and 24 g of carbohydrate.
How is soba traditionally served?
Soba noodles can be eaten either cold or hot. While cold items are typically eaten by dipping them into a small bowl of sauce known as tsuyu, hot items are typically served in a bowl of steaming broth with the side dishes placed in a soup or on a separate plate.
