Zaru soba is a popular Japanese cold noodle dish usually served with umami rich dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is made with mirin, soy sauce, dashi powder, water and sugar. Traditionally soba noodles are cooked, rinsed multiple times in cold water, bundled into small portions and served on a bamboo mat along side with tsuyu dipping sauce, wasabi and green onions.
Zaru Soba
As you all know I am in my Japanese food recreation era. I have a list of dishes which I tried during our Japan trip and recreating it at home one at a time. I have already shared so many Japanese dishes which you have to check.
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On the top of the list is my zaru soba. It is more popular in Japan than other parts of the world. It is nothing but cooked and cooled soba noodles served with a cold dipping sauce. You have to try it at least once.
About Zaru Soba Recipe
Zaru soba is Japan’s signature cold noodle dish. It is boiled buckwheat noodles served with chilled bowl of Diluted Tsuyu dipping sauce made with soy sauce, dashi broth, mirin and sugar. The sauce is much more intense than any broth. It is much more concentrated than broth since it is served as dipping sauce.
Traditionally zaru soba is served in a bamboo mat. It is used so the excess water from the boiled noodles can drain. Cooked and strained soba noodles is made into small bundles and placed on the bamboo mat.
Dipping sauce is served in a soup bowl along with a small dish with freshly grated wasabi and chopped spring onions.
There is a unique way of enjoying Zaru Soba. Take some amount of the wasabi and mix into the broth, sprinkle with green onions. Take small portion of noodles using chopstick, dunk it into the cold dipping sauce and slurp.
Similar Recipes
Tsuyu dipping sauce is a versatile condiments. It is also served readymade in bottles. Since it is made from soy sauce, dashi, mirin and sugar, it is rich in umami taste.
It is used as dipping sauce for tempura, diluted with water and used as broth for noodles (kake udon). It is also used as seasoning in stir fries.
I have made another popular Japanese dish called as kake udon which uses more diluted Tsuyu sauce. For Dipping sauce, the ratio is 4:1, for every 1 cup of water you need ¼ cup of other ingredients. But for making noodle broth the ratio is 8:1.
And if you enjoy soba, you have to try my chicken soba and soba salad.
Ingredients
- Water – for making tsuyu. The base is water, I used 1 cup of water.
- Dashi – You can use instant dashi powder or store-bought bottled dashi broth. If using dashi powder, don’t add too much else it will be too salty.
- Soy Sauce – use good quality soy sauce for making the base.
- Mirin – mirin adds the sweetness and balance of taste to the dipping sauce.
- Sugar – I like to add sugar to create the intense taste in the sauce.
- Soba Noodles – use good quality soba noodles, I used green tea soba. But you can use any soba noodles of choice.
- Garnish – chopped green onions, grated wasabi makes amazing garnish.
Step by Step Pictures
1)I used dashi powder. If you can find readymade dashi broth you can use that instead.
2)Take water and dashi powder in a sauce pan. Instead of dashi powder you can use dashi broth.
3)Add in sugar into the stock.
4)Add in soy sauce.
5)Add in mirin.
6)Take water, dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmering stage.
7)The sugar should be completely meted into the sauce. Now pour this into a heat safe bottle or container and store in fridge until ready to serve. The sauce should be cold at the time of serving.
8)I am using soba noodles for this recipe. This is green tea soba noodles.
9)Bring water to a full boil, drop in soba noodles and cook until noodles is completely cooked as per package directions.
10)Cook the noodles as per package direction.
11)Strain the noodles through a sieve and rinse in cold water multiple times rubbing it well so the excess starch leaves.
12)Set aside to strain completely.
13)To serve zaru soba. Bundle small portion of the noodles and place on a bamboo mat. Pour the dipping sauce in a small bowl, take wasabi, spring onions in another bowl and serve.
How to Enjoy Zaru Soba
Take some amount of the wasabi and mix into the broth, sprinkle with green onions. Take small portion of noodles using chopstick, dunk it into the cold dipping sauce and slurp.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t want to use buckwheat noodles. You can use any noodles of choice.
- You can make the dipping sauce upto a week in advance and store in fridge. Since it is better to serve it cold.
- You can serve this dipping sauce with fried tempura, add in stir fries, marinade.
- Dilute the dipping sauce with more water and pour over boiled udon noodles and serve.
Storage and Serving
You can store the dipping sauce in fridge upto 10 or more days. Enjoy with boiled noodles, fried foods.
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Zaru Soba Recipe (Japanese Cold Noodles)
Zaru soba is a popular Japanese cold noodle dish usually served with umami rich dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is made with mirin, soy sauce, dashi powder, water and sugar. Traditionally soba noodles are cooked, rinsed multiple times in cold water, bundled into small portions and served on a bamboo mat along side with tsuyu dipping sauce, wasabi and green onions.
Ingredients
For Diluted Tsuyu (Dipping Sauce)
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Zaru Soba Recipe (Japanese Cold Noodles)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
