Kanesu Maiko Soba Noodle

Product of Japan

Net Wt.: 10.5 oz (300 grams)
Shipping Wt.: 3.8 oz.
Qty. Per Case: 30

Soba (そば or 蕎麦) is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of settings: they are a popular inexpensive fast food at train stations throughout Japan, but are also served by exclusive and expensive specialty restaurants. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy.

Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru, sometimes garnished with bits of dried nori seaweed, with a dipping sauce known as soba tsuyu on the side. The tsuyu is made of a strong mixture of dashi, sweetened soy sauce (also called "satōjōyu") and mirin. Using chopsticks, the diner picks up a small amount of soba from the tray and swirls it in the cold tsuyu before eating it.

Wasabi and scallions are often mixed into the tsuyu. Many people think that the best way to experience the unique texture of hand-made soba noodles is to eat them cold, since letting them soak in hot broth changes their consistency.

Directions:

Boil water in a large pot. Add soba noodles in the boiling water, gently stirring noodles. Turn down the heat to medium. Boil soba noodles, following the package instructions (it usually takes about 7-8 minutes to cook soba). If necessary, add a little bit of cold water in the pot to prevent overflowing. Drain soba and cool the noodles in cold water. Gently wash noodles with hands and drain well. Take a few strands at a time and lay on a serving plate or zaru (draining bamboo basket similar to a sieve). Pour the soba tsuyu in a small cup and dilute with water to taste. Finally, garnish noodles with optional condiments.