Grilled Eggplant Soba Noodles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do I make sure soba noodles don't stick together? ›

You have to cool these down ASAP. I prefer putting them in a bowl of cold water over rinsing them with cold water because rinsing them compacts the noodles down while the bowl of cool water gives them room to stay separate. I also throw a few ice cubes in my water bowl.

As soba noodles are very delicate, gently wash the noodles together for about one minute with your hands. But do wash them thoroughly as this step also helps remove any starch left on the surface.

"If you're looking for a high-quality soba noodle, it should say buckwheat as the first ingredient, not wheat. It's a law in Japan that you have to use more than 30 percent buckwheat flour to label something as soba. If it's not 30 percent, we can't call it soba."

And with soba, if you overcook the noodles even by just one or two minutes, they get soft and start breaking. So it's important to keep an eye on the time and to eat them quickly once they're ready.” Inaoka also recommends keeping the cooking water.

Tender and supple with the perfect chewy texture, these from-scratch buckwheat soba noodles are easy to perfect. Sonoku Sakai is a Japanese American cooking teacher, recipe developer, and food writer.

Add soba to the boiling pot in a circular motion, separating the noodles from each other. Cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes or according to the package instructions (each brand is slightly different). Stir the noodles once in a while so they don't stick. Cook until tender.

Dried soba can be stored as you would any other dried pasta or noodle (dry, cool, dark pantry is best) until the sell-by date listed on the package; semi-dried or half-fresh noodles should be kept as you found them at the store.

While Italian pasta can stand a bit of overcooking, most soba noodles will turn into a complete mess if you overcook them. So that's our main rule here: Don't overcook them!

Mentsuyu (めんつゆ), or sometimes called Tsuyu (つゆ), is a Japanese soup base commonly used in soba and udon noodle dishes. Made from sake, mirin, soy sauce, kombu, and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), the flavor is delicate yet intensely savory.

Serve toppings warm or cold, cooked or raw. Steamed baby bok choy, radishes, bean sprouts, hard boiled egg half, cilantro. Edamame, shredded red cabbage, tofu, green onion. Steamed broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, red bell pepper, sesame seeds.

Why are soba noodles expensive? ›

The prices of Japan's beloved 'soba' noodles have been increased for the first time in 10 years due to Ukraine's invasion. Ukraine, also known as the “breadbasket of the world,” is unable to export its products to Europe, Africa, and Asia that relies on the vast, fertile farmlands of the Black Sea region.

Soba (そば or 蕎麦, "buckwheat") are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat flour, with a small amount of wheat flour mixed in. It has an ashen brown color, and a slightly grainy texture. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup.

Bring an unsalted pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse well in cold water. This helps to remove starches that cause clumping.

If things do get gummy, drain the noodles, rinse them under cold water, and plunge them into an ice bath. This will stop the cooking process while washing away some of the starch. Now you're ready to sip and slurp your way to soba-induced bliss.

Drain the soba noodles in a sieve and rinse them under cold running water with your hands to get rid of the excess starch. This is a very important step to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Shake the sieve to drain the water completely.