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Japanese Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Homemade Dipping Sauce)

Name: Japanese Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Homemade Dipping Sauce)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: water; Bonito flakes (Katsuobushi); mirin; soy sauce; Dried soba noodles; Shredded nori seaweed; scallion; Wasabi paste; Ice cubes

groups1 servingspeedEasycountertopsPrep: 10 minsskilletCook: 10 minsscheduleTotal: 20 minsoutdoor_grillBoiledlocal_fire_departmentMild

Allergens:warningGlutenwarningSoywarningFish

Allergen labels are AI-generated and may be incomplete or wrong. If you have a food allergy, always verify every ingredient yourself.

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

7 Steps Total

Active Cooking

00:00:12

Pour 500ml of water into a small pot and bring to a full boil. Add 10g of bonito flakes, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in 30ml of mirin and 45ml of soy sauce, increase heat to high and bring to a rolling boil to evaporate the alcohol, then turn off the heat immediately.

local_fire_departmentHigh heat to boil, medium-low for 2 minutes, then high heat to rolling boil

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Watch out

Turn off the heat immediately once boiled

do not boil for too long, otherwise excessive evaporation will make the sauce overly salty

Ingredients:water (500 ml)Bonito flakes (Katsuobushi) (10 g)mirin (30 ml)soy sauce (45 ml)

Tools:measuring spoonsaucepan

Waiting Time

00:01:01

warningStay safe

Hold the pot handle securely when pouring the freshly boiled hot sauce to prevent scalding from splashes.

Pour the cooked sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the bonito flakes. Let the clear sauce cool down to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly until completely cold.

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Watch out

Do not put hot sauce directly into the refrigerator

let it cool at room temperature first, otherwise it can raise the fridge temperature and create condensation

Tools:mixing bowlstrainer

Active Cooking

00:01:12

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Fan out and add 90g of dried soba noodles, stirring gently with chopsticks to prevent sticking. Reduce to medium-low heat to maintain a gentle roll without boiling over, and cook for 5 minutes until tender.

local_fire_departmentHigh heat to boil, medium-low heat for 5 minutes

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Watch out

Do not use overly high heat

the starch in soba easily foams up and boils over, so maintain a gentle steady simmer

Ingredients:Dried soba noodles (90 g)

Tools:kitchen timersaucepanchopsticks

Active Cooking

00:01:35

Immediately pour the cooked noodles into a colander to drain the hot water. Rinse with cold running water and gently rub the noodles between your hands to wash away surface starch, then drain completely.

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Watch out

Be gentle when rubbing the noodles

do not squeeze or pull harshly, otherwise the noodles will break apart

Ingredients:Dried soba noodles

Tools:slotted strainer

Active Cooking

00:01:50

Add fresh cold water and 100g of ice cubes to the drained noodles. Gently massage the noodles in the ice bath for several seconds until thoroughly chilled and tightened to an elastic, springy texture, then drain completely.

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Watch out

Ensure the noodles are thoroughly drained

if excess residual water is left, it will dilute the flavor of the dipping sauce

Ingredients:Dried soba noodlesIce cubes (100 g)

Tools:slotted strainer

Active Cooking

00:02:07

Place a bamboo sushi mat over a serving plate. Divide the thoroughly drained cold soba noodles into neat small portions and arrange them on top of the bamboo mat.

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Watch out

If you don't have a bamboo mat, a regular plate works fine, but ensure the noodles are dry so they don't sit in water and become soggy.

Ingredients:Dried soba noodles

Tools:platebamboo mat

Active Cooking

00:02:21

Sprinkle 2g of shredded nori on top of the soba noodles. Pour the chilled dipping sauce into a small dipping bowl, add 5g of chopped scallions and 3g of wasabi paste. Dip the noodles into the sauce with chopsticks and enjoy.

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Watch out

Dab the wasabi on the rim of the bowl first and stir it in gradually to taste, avoiding adding too much at once which can be overwhelming.

Ingredients:Shredded nori seaweed (2 g)scallion (5 g)Wasabi paste (3 g)

Tools:Dipping bowl