An easy cold soba noodle (zaru soba) recipe made with buckwheat noodles and d genmaicha tea-infused tsuyu dipping sauce! Perfect dish for a hot sunny day!
Table of Contents
What is Zaru Soba?
Zaru soba (ざるそば) is a Japanese chilled soba noodle dish made with buckwheat flour noodles. It is served with a cold tsuyu dipping sauce (also called mentsuyu) which you use to dip your noodles in before slurping it down. It's a very light and refreshing dish to enjoy during the hot summer days, and super quick and easy to make as well.
When I came up with this recipe for zaru soba (cold soba noodles) I wanted to keep it simple and didn't want to slave over the stove. This is where I got the idea of using steeped genmaicha tea idea since it's an easy way to make the dipping sauce as well give it extra flavor.
For extra flavor, you can also sprinkle some furikake seasoning on top of the noodles as well right before you serve them.
If you're looking for something to serve on the side, you can also try serving it with my charred lemon garlic edamame or Japanese kani salad recipe as well, it's easy to make and only takes 15 from start to finish.
Ingredients for Cold Soba Noodles
For this zaru soba recipe, you can find the soba noodles (aka buckwheat noodles), mirin and bonito flakes at an Asian grocery store or specialty grocery store.
Genmaicha is also known as roasted brown rice green tea and can be found at your local Asian grocery store as well however tea shops are getting quite popular nowadays so you may be able to find them at tea shops as well.
I used prepared wasabi since this was what I had on hand, and it makes this recipe quick and simple - however if you can get powdered wasabi or fresh wasabi those work as well.
Daikon radish and dried seaweed (nori) sheets can usually be found at your local grocery store or Asian supermarket.
Tips
- It's very easy to overflow the pot when you are boiling the soba noodles. When you start to notice a lot of foam building up, blow on it. Blowing on the foam will send it back down so it won't overflow the pot.
- Sesame oil during the ice bath is optional. It is not traditionally added but I find a hint of nuttiness adds a nice flavor to the noodles. A little goes a long long way, so less is more. I would go with only adding a few drops in and use no more than ¼ teaspoon.
- Just a warning, prepared wasabi is potent – a little goes a long long way, so use it sparingly as a topping.
- If you have Hondashi granules, you can also use ¾ teaspoon to the tsuyu sauce to give it a smokier flavor.
How to Make Zaru Soba
Prepare the Zaru Soba Toppings
I used a lot of toppings in this zaru soba recipe. You don't need to go this overboard - this was more to give you options and ideas. 🙂 If you want to keep it simple, green onions (scallions) and seaweed (nori) are more than enough for some good flavors.
Here are some additional topping ideas:
- Nori - I found it easiest to use scissors to snip them up into small slivers
- Grated ginger and daikon - Use a fine grater to grate it. Once grated, they have a lot of excess water - squeeze and drain the excess liquid out.
- Finely chopped green onions/scallions
- Wasabi - Fresh and pre-made store-bought wasabi will work.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds - This adds a nice nuttiness to the sauce
Make Zaru Soba Dipping Sauce
- Steep approximately 4 tablespoons of genmaicha tea in 3 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes. I have a huge tea ball but ideally, you would want to put this in some sort of tea ball or tea bag. If you don't have one you can strain out the tea leaves with a strainer once the tea has been steeped.
- Once the tea is done, in a pitcher add in about a handful of bonito flakes (approx. 4 tbsp), pour in the tea, and let it steep for about 10-15 minutes
- Strain the bonito flakes out, then add in the soy sauce, mirin, and sake
- Let the sauce chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Cooking the Soba Noodles
- In a pot, add water and set it on medium heat until the water boils. Do not add salt to the water - the dipping sauce is already very salty so we don't want to go overboard with the salt.
- Follow the directions on the packaging to cook the soba noodles. I usually cook it for 1 minute less than it says and then taste it for doneness to make it al dente.
Make sure to watch the noodles like a hawk. They boil over very easily. When you start to see the bubbles go insane and rise up, gently blow into it - it's weird but it works, it makes the bubbles die down a bit. - Once the noodles are done, run them under cold water and rinse off all the starches. When the noodles are cool, add them to an ice bath for a few minutes.
It is not traditionally added but I also add a few drops of sesame oil to the ice bath because it adds a nice nutty flavor. A little goes a long long way, so less is more. Start by adding a few drops into the water. Use no more than ¼ teaspoon. The sesame oil also helps prevent the noodles from sticking to each other as well.
How To Serve and Eat Cold Soba Noodles
- Place the Cold Buckwheat Noodles, Tsuyu Sauce, and Toppings on the Table - Once you have finished cooking the noodles, and the noodles have had time to chill, place them on a small plate or basket and set it on the table. Place the toppings/garnishes and tsuyu dipping sauce at the table as well.
- Prepare the Small Dipping Sauce Bowls - Using a small bowl, put in a few of your favorite garnishes (wasabi, toasted sesame seeds, grated daikon radish, green onions, and grated ginger). Pour the tsuyu dipping sauce into the bowls.
- Dip the Noodles in the Sauce and Slurp Up the Noodles! - Take a small amount of noodles and dip it in the sauce you just created! Then slurp up the noodles and enjoy!
- Make a Soup with the Remaining Dipping Sauce - When the meal is done, you will most likely have a lot of dipping sauce left. Traditionally, zaru soba would use the leftover soba noodle water (sobayu) to water down the dipping sauce to make it into a soup! Instead of the soba water, I re-steeped the tea in a teapot and used that to water down the dipping sauce to make the soup instead.
More Japanese Recipes to Try
- Kani Salad (Japanese Crab Salad)
- Chicken Teriyaki Yaki Udon
- Charred Lemon Garlic Edamame
- Sesame Crusted Teriyaki Salmon
- Homemade Furikake Seasoning
- Maple Curry Yaki Udon
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Recipe Card
Easy Cold Soba Noodles (Zaru Soba)
Recipe Notes
- When boiling the noodles, watch it like a hawk. They boil over very easily. When you start to see the bubbles/foam rise up, gently blow into it and it will reduce the foam in the pot and prevent it from overflowing the pot.
- Sesame oil during the ice bath is optional. It is not traditionally added but I find a hint of nuttiness adds a nice flavor to the noodles. A little goes a long long way, so less is more. I would go with only adding a few drops in and use no more than ¼ teaspoon.
- Just a warning, prepared wasabi is potent – a little goes a long long way, so use it sparingly as a topping.
- If you have Hondashi granules, you can also use ¾ teaspoon to the tsuyu sauce to give it a smokier flavor.
Ingredients
- 180 g soba noodles (2 individual bundles)
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
Genmaicha Tsuyu Dipping Sauce
- 4 tablespoons genmaicha tea (roasted brown rice Japanese green tea)
- 3 cups water (hot)
- 4-5 tablespoons bonito flakes
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- 1 teaspoon sake
Toppings (Pick and choose the ones you like!)
- 2 x2cm ginger (grated)
- 1 sheet dried nori seaweed sheet (cut into slivers)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 5 x5 cm daikon radish (grated)
- 1 teaspoon wasabi
- 1 stalk green onions (finely chopped)
Instructions
Make the Zaru Soba Dipping Sauce
- Steep approximately 4 tablespoons of genmaicha tea in 3 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes. Ideally you would want to put this in some sort of tea ball or teabag. If you don’t have one you can strain out the tea leaves with a strainer once the tea has been steeped.
- Once the tea is done, in a pitcher add in about a handful of bonito flakes (approx. 4 tbsp), pour in the tea and let it meld for about 10-15 minutes
- Strain the bonito flakes out, then add in the soy sauce, mirin, and sake
- Let the sauce chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Prepare the Toppings
- Pick and choose the toppings you like. You don't need to use them all. If you want to keep it simple, green onions (scallions) and seaweed (nori) is more than enough for some good flavourings.
- If you are using seaweed, I found it easiest to use scissors to snip them up into slivers
- For ginger and daikon, use a fine grater to shave it into mush. Once grated, they have a lot of excess water – squeeze and drain the excess liquid out.
Cooking the Soba Noodles
- In a pot, add water and set it on medium heat until the water boils. Do not add salt to the water – the dipping sauce is already very salty so we don't need the extra saltiness.
- Follow the directions on the packaging to cook the soba noodles. I usually cook it for 1 minute less than it says and then taste it for doneness to make it al dente
- Once the noodles are done, run them under cold water and rinse off all the starches. When the noodles are cool, add them into a ice bath for 1 minutes.It is not traditionally added but I also add a few drops of sesame oil to the ice bath because it adds a nice nutty flavour. A little goes a long long way, so less is more. Start by adding a few drops into the water. Use no more than ¼ teaspoon. The sesame oil also helps prevent the noodles from sticking to each other as well.
Serving the Noodles
- Place the Cold Buckwheat Noodles, Tsuyu Sauce, and Toppings at the Table - Once you have finished cooking the noodles, and the noodles have had time to chill, place them on a small plate or basket and set it at the table. Place the toppings/garnishes and tsuyu dipping sauce at the table as well.
- Prepare the Small Dipping Sauce Bowls - Using a small bowl, put in a few of your favorite garnishes (wasabi, toasted sesame seeds, grated daikon radish, green onions, grated ginger). Pour the tsuyu dipping sauce into the bowls.
- Dip the Noodles in the Sauce and Slurp Up the Noodles! - Take a small amount of noodles and dip it in the sauce you just created! Then slurp up the noodles and enjoy!
- Make a Soup with the Remaining Dipping Sauce - When the meal is done, you will most likely have a lot of dipping sauce left. Traditionally, zaru soba would use the leftover soba noodle water (sobayu) to water down the dipping sauce to make it into a soup! Instead of the soba water, I re-steeped the tea in a teapot and used that to water down the dipping sauce to make the soup instead.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
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Wanda says
So many great flavours here I must try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Catherine says
What a beautiful and elegant dish...I'm so intrigued by this. Would love to try!
Allison Mattina says
I've not been able to bring myself to try these noodles yet! The color throws me off but I've heard they're so good.
Joyce says
haha yes the dark colour is from the buck wheat flour 🙂 Definitely something you should try, it taste like any other noodle but a lot more nutty.
Marisa says
I tried toasted rice tea for the first time last year. Great idea to cook with it for savory flavor. Loved this... and learned lots!
Deepika says
I am intrigued by how this recipe is made. This is definitely on my Must- Try List. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Josie says
I love this healthy dish, fast making for lunch or dinner. I can put in less wasabi for my own taste. Simple healthy and fast especially if I don't want to make a more complicated mundane food. Thanks.
Joyce says
I definitely put too much wasabi in mine haha! Lesson learned! 🙂