Japan tends to be very hot and humid in the summer. To combat this heat, various dishes get their cold versions. One of them is the famous soba, a buckwheat noodle that we have talked about in another article. Today we will specifically talk about zaru soba, a cold (or chilled) noodle that is usually dipped in a delicious sauce.
At first glance, it may seem strange to eat cold or chilled noodles, but the soba noodles pair perfectly with any setting and with dipping sauce. It was one of the greatest delights I had in Japan, a simple, cheap dish that is popular among the Japanese.
Unlike Western noodles, most Japanese noodles are usually vigorously rinsed in cold running water. This cools them down and also removes excess starch, which negatively affects the flavor. It’s not enough to just throw cold water; you must scrub and wash the noodles thoroughly to achieve superior flavor.
What is cold noodle – Zaru Soba?
Japanese cold noodles are called zaru soba not because they are cold. Zaru is the name of a bamboo draining basket, where the cold soba usually sits (similar to a strainer). The cold noodles come on a Zaru where you take what you will eat and dip it separately in the sauce. Similar to dipping sushi in sauce.
The sauce in which you dip the Zaru soba is called Mentsuyu. It is made of shoyu, mirin sake, and hondashi (fish-based seasoning). The Mentsuyu, affectionately known simply as tsuyu, can be bought in a ready-made bottle or made at home with your own variations.
It can come accompanied with green onions or wasabi. Sometimes the dish is accompanied by tempura and is known as tenzaru. Bukkake is the name given to cold soba noodles that come in a bowl already with mixed sauce and some additional ingredients.
Recipe – How to make Zaru Soba?
Ingredients for the soba
- Package of soba noodles;
Optional:
- Chopped green onions;
- Nori leaves cut into strips;
- Wasabi
For the Tsuyu sauce
- 2 cups of water;
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (shoyu);
- 1 tablespoon of mirin sake;
- 1 teaspoon of hondashi;
- 1 teaspoon of sugar;
- 2 pinches of ajinomoto or salt to taste;
If you find Kaeshi, just mix it with hondashi;
There are no secrets, just make the soba, place it in a strainer, and eat by dipping it in the sauce. If you want to add green onions, it is recommended to serve them in a separate container. The sauce should be made by mixing the ingredients boiling over medium heat. It should then be placed in the refrigerator for a while. The nori can be mixed with the noodles before serving.
Zaru Soba is not the only cold noodle in Japan. There are cold versions of udon and ramen, as well as various other dishes. What do you think of Zaru soba? Have you had the chance to try this dish? I hope you enjoyed this little article, we appreciate comments and shares. We also recommend reading:
- Kogashi Ramen – The noodle that catches fire
- Hiyashi Chuka – Cold noodles
- Udon – The thick Japanese noodle
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