Entree: Japan – Shikoku – 四国そば ➤ Shikoku soba (Buckwheat noodles from Shikoku served with a dashi-based dipping sauce or hot broth)
Serving Size: 4
Approximate Time
Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Total
35 min
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 g) dried soba noodles
- 6 cups (1.4 L) water for making dashi
- 1 piece (4-inch / 10 g) kombu (dried kelp)
- 1.5 oz (40 g) katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) soy sauce
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) mirin
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) sake
- 1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (120 g) grated daikon radish
- 1 tbsp (15 g) wasabi paste (or to taste)
- 1 sheet (approx. 2 g) nori, toasted and shredded
- Ice and cold water for chilling noodles (if serving cold)
Instructions
1. Make dashi: put kombu and 6 cups (1.4 L) cold water in a saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer over medium heat. Just before boiling, remove kombu, add katsuobushi, simmer 30 seconds, then turn off heat and steep 2–3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve lined with paper or cloth; discard solids.
2. Prepare tsuyu (dipping sauce): return 2 cups (480 ml) of the strained dashi to a pot, add 3/4 cup (180 ml) soy sauce, 3/4 cup (180 ml) mirin, 1/4 cup (60 ml) sake and 1 tbsp (12 g) sugar. Heat gently until sugar dissolves, then cool. Adjust strength by adding more dashi or a little water if too strong; chill if serving cold.
3. Cook soba according to package directions in a large pot of boiling water (usually 4–5 minutes). Stir gently to prevent clumping and taste for al dente texture.
4. For cold serving: drain noodles and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking and firm the texture; drain well. For hot serving: drain and rinse briefly with warm water to remove surface starch.
5. Divide soba into four bowls or on plates. Serve cold noodles with small individual bowls of chilled tsuyu for dipping, accompanied by sliced scallions, grated daikon, a dab of wasabi and shredded nori. For hot serving, warm tsuyu with additional dashi and pour over noodles, garnishing similarly.
6. To eat cold: take a small portion of noodles, dip into tsuyu, then eat with condiments to taste. Adjust tsuyu with hot dashi or water if too concentrated.
