Zaru soba (cold soba, dipping sauce)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Sake + miringo in firstStep 1

2. 

   Soy sauceafter the boilStep 1

3. 

   Kombu + katsuobushifor the sauceStep 2

4. 

   Sobadried, 100 g per servingStep 4

5. 

   Iced waterfor chilling the noodlesStep 6

6. 

   Condiments

   • nori
   • green onions
   • wasabi

   Step 9

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

Make the sauce ahead (it keeps a month) and the meal itself is about 15 minutes.

Step by step

1. 

   1Boil off the alcohol

   medium-high~1 min

   For this step

   • Sake60 ml (¼ cup)
   • Mirin120 ml (½ cup)
   • Soy sauce120 ml (½ cup)

   • Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
   • Boil a few seconds until the alcohol smell is gone, then add the soy sauce.

   

2. 

   2Kombu and bonito

   For this step

   • Kombu1 piece
   • Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)5–10 g

   Add the kombu and the katsuobushi — the bigger amount for a stronger bonito flavour.

   

3. 

   3Simmer, cool, strain

   low5 min + cooling

   • Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
   • Turn off the heat and let it steep until it’s fully cool, then strain.
   • This is a concentrate — it gets diluted before serving.

   

4. 

   

   4Boil the soba

   high~4–5 min

   For this step

   • Dried soba400 g (14 oz) — 100 g per serving

   • Bring a big pot of water to a boil — no salt.
   • Fan the soba in so the strands stay apart; stir now and then.
   • Cook for the packet time (usually 4–5 minutes), until just tender with a slight chew.
   • If it threatens to boil over, lower the heat — never add cold water.
   • Before draining, save 240–360 ml (1–1½ cups) of the cooking water (sobayu) for the end.

   

5. 

   5Rinse

   ~1 min

   • Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold running water, rubbing gently with your hands until the water runs clear.
   • Don’t skip it — unrinsed soba clumps and turns slimy.

   

6. 

   6Ice bath

   30 s

   Shake the sieve, tip the noodles into a big bowl of iced water for 30 seconds, then drain well.

   

7. 

   7Plate

   For this step

   • Shredded noria handful

   • Set the bamboo mats over plates to catch drips.
   • One serving of soba on each, shredded nori on top.

   

8. 

   8Dilute the dipping sauce

   For this step

   • Dipping sauce concentrate (above)90 ml (6 tbsp)
   • Iced water270 ml (1⅛ cups)

   • Mix the concentrate with the iced water — about 1 : 3.
   • Taste: more water if it’s too salty, more concentrate if it’s weak.
   • Pour into small cups, one each.

   

9. 

   9Condiments and serve

   For this step

   • Green onions2
   • Wasabioptional

   • Chop the green onions and put them on small plates with a dab of wasabi.
   • Dip a mouthful of noodles into the sauce, adding green onion and wasabi to the cup as you go.

   

10. 

    10Sobayu to finish

    After eating, pour the hot saved cooking water into what’s left of your dipping sauce and drink it as a light broth — the way soba shops finish the meal.