On warm days, Japan’s zaru soba offers a refreshing dining option with its nutty and savoury edge. Ideal for a quick meal in about 15 minutes, these cold buckwheat noodles work well with a simple dipping sauce and can be complemented by salads or tofu for extra variety. Traditionally, the noodles are placed on a bamboo mat, or zaru, which helps drain them after cooking.
Opting for Soba
While Japan enjoys several cold noodle dishes during summer, such as somen and hiyashi chuka, buckwheat soba remains a more accessible choice, especially outside Japan. These noodles are cherished for their flavour which, according to Yumiko Maehashi from RecipeTin Japan, is best appreciated cold. The buckwheat content in soba varies, influencing both cost and taste, with higher buckwheat proportions delivering richer flavours and generally more expensive. For those avoiding gluten, 100% buckwheat soba paired with gluten-free soy sauce offers an ideal alternative.
Cooking soba noodles does not require salt but rather careful stirring initially to prevent them from sticking. After boiling, they should be rinsed thoroughly in cold water to preserve their texture and silkiness. While some suggest using iced water, this step may not significantly affect texture, though it does remove excess starch.
Preparing the Sauce
Proper zaru soba etiquette involves dipping only half of the noodle strands into the mentsuyu sauce, allowing diners to experience the noodles’ inherent taste. This intense sauce typically comprises soy sauce, mirin, seaweed, and katsuobushi, with alternatives like ready-made dashi available for convenience. Some chefs, like Chen and Nishimura, add sake for depth, whereas sweetness can be introduced with ingredients like brown sugar.
Preparing the sauce requires a bit of planning to allow for chilling. Once strained, it can be stored in the fridge for repeated use. After consuming the noodles, the cooking water can be heated and added to the sauce for a nutritious finish as a broth.
Enhancing the Experience
Traditionally topped with roasted seaweed nori, zaru soba invites various accompaniments, from wasabi and spring onions to daikon and garlic chives. Ground sesame seeds add texture, but the simplicity of this dish, emphasising its fresh, saline character, remains its core appeal.
Making Perfect Zaru Soba
To assemble this dish, you’ll need two 75g portions of soba noodles and optional accompaniments like nori and wasabi. To prepare the sauce, combine a 5cm strip of kombu with soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, and katsuobushi.
Begin by letting the kombu infuse in water, then add the other ingredients except the katsuobushi. Heat until boiling, add the katsuobushi, and let it cool before chilling. For the noodles, boil them, stir to prevent clumping, then rinse in cold water. Strain the sauce, cut nori, and ready your sides.
Serve the cooled noodles with the sauce and accompaniments on the side for dipping. Afterward, adding the noodle cooking water to the sauce creates a small bowl of savoury broth to enjoy.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theguardian.com.