How to make the perfect zaru soba, or cold soba noodles – recipe
Hot days call for cool dinners, and these are Japan’s nutty, salty and sweet solution. Fiery or pickled accompaniments optional
TL;DR
- Zaru soba is a traditional Japanese cold noodle dish ideal for hot weather.
- It consists of buckwheat soba noodles served with a savory dipping sauce called mentsuyu.
- The dish is simple to prepare, taking about 15 minutes, and can be customized with optional accompaniments.
- The flavor of the soba noodles, particularly their nuttiness, is best enjoyed cold.
- Mentsuyu sauce is made with soy sauce, mirin, seaweed, and dried tuna flakes, with optional additions like sake and brown sugar.
- For gluten-free options, use 100% buckwheat noodles and gluten-free soy sauce.
- Proper eating involves dipping only the bottom half of the noodles into the sauce to better appreciate the noodle flavor.
- Leftover noodle cooking water can be added to the dipping sauce to create a traditional broth.