Zaru soba

Name: Zaru soba
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 400 g Dried soba noodles; 300 ml Dashi; 80 ml Soy sauce; 80 ml Mirin; 2 Spring onions, finely sliced; 1 tsp Wasabi; 1 Nori sheet, in thin strips

Chilled buckwheat noodles on a bamboo tray with a cold dashi dipping sauce: Japan’s favourite summer lunch.

20 min10 prep · 10 cook
EasyDifficulty
420 kcalper serving

Ingredients

4 servings

Dried soba noodles400 g
Dashi300 ml
Soy sauce80 ml
Mirin80 ml
Spring onions, finely sliced2
Wasabi1 tsp
Nori sheet, in thin strips1

Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.

Steps

1
Simmer the dashi, soy sauce and mirin for a minute, then cool and chill the dipping sauce.
2
Cook the soba in plenty of unsalted boiling water, stirring at first so it doesn’t stick.
3
Drain and rinse under cold running water, rubbing gently to wash off the starch, then plunge into iced water.
4
Drain well and pile onto bamboo trays or plates, topped with nori.
5
Serve with small cups of sauce; stir in spring onion and wasabi and dip the noodles as you eat.

Tips and questions

Why rinse the noodles?: Rinsing removes the surface starch so the soba isn’t gummy and stays springy when cold.
Is soba gluten-free?: Only if it’s 100% buckwheat (juwari soba); most brands also contain wheat flour, so check the label.
Can I make the dipping sauce ahead?: Yes, it keeps a week in the fridge and actually tastes better the next day.

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Zaru soba

Ingredients

Steps

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