Recipe Highlights
Because the 12 months involves an in depth, many Japanese households benefit from the custom of Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば), or year-crossing noodles. This practice entails sitting all the way down to a bowl of humble noodle soup earlier than the stroke of midnight. This final meal of the 12 months is gentle, soothing, deeply significant, and a quiet second of reflection earlier than welcoming what comes subsequent.
- Deeply symbolic and comforting – Lengthy soba noodles symbolize resilience, good luck, and a want for an extended, peaceable life.
- Easy but satisfying – A fragile dashi broth and buckwheat noodles come along with just some toppings.
- Simple to make – With primary components and a brief prep time, anybody can get pleasure from this custom at residence throughout this most vital time of 12 months.
Should you get pleasure from Japanese noodle dishes, attempt my Udon Noodle Soup, Curry Udon, and Soba Noodle Soup with tempura subsequent.
What’s Toshikoshi Soba?
Toshikoshi soba is the custom of consuming Japanese soba noodle soup on New 12 months’s Eve (Ōmisoka, 大晦日). Like many New 12 months customs in Japan, it focuses on renewal and contemporary beginnings. The lengthy, skinny buckwheat noodles symbolize power, endurance, and longevity, whereas their straightforward texture represents letting go of the previous 12 months’s hardships. This custom dates again to the mid–late 1700s, when on a regular basis customs turned intently tied to needs for success.
Elements for Toshikoshi Soba
You’ll be able to get pleasure from any sort of soba noodle soup for toshikoshi soba. For my model, I preserve issues easy with straightforward, no-fuss toppings:
- dried soba noodles
- kamaboko (fish cake)
- dried wakame seaweed
- inexperienced onion or scallion
- water
- for soba broth:
- dashi (Japanese soup inventory): kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- seasonings: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and kosher salt
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) – non-compulsory
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Easy methods to Make Toshikoshi Soba
- Make the dashi. Slowly warmth water in a pot with kombu, take away earlier than boiling, then steep the bonito flakes and pressure.
- Season the broth. Add sake, mirin, soy sauce, and salt. Carry to a delicate simmer over medium warmth, then put aside.
- Put together the toppings. Rehydrate the wakame, slice the inexperienced onion, and lower the kamaboko.
- Cook dinner the noodles. Boil the soba noodles in accordance with the bundle directions, then drain and rinse beneath chilly water.
- Assemble and serve. Divide the noodles into bowls, pour over the recent dashi broth, and add the toppings.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
These easy suggestions will allow you to make a scrumptious toshikoshi soba recipe each time.
- Use good dashi. This soup (tsuyu) could be very easy, so the flavour of the dashi inventory actually issues. Kombu and katsuobushi create a broth that tastes gentle however deeply savory.
- Don’t salt the cooking water. Soba noodles are cooked in plain water, not salted like pasta water.
- Rinse the noodles effectively. Washing off the starch retains the broth clear and clean-tasting.
- Hold the toppings easy. This dish is historically minimalist!
- Vegan choice. Use kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms to make vegan dashi, and skip the fish cake.
Variations and Customizations
Trying to change issues up? Attempt these straightforward and engaging concepts!
- Vegan or vegetarian. Make Vegan Dashi and use tofu or mushrooms as toppings.
- Shortcut broth. Use store-bought mentsuyu diluted with water for a fast model.
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Hold the broth and noodles separate within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
To reheat: Heat the broth gently on the range. Cook dinner noodles simply earlier than serving for the very best texture.
FAQs
When do you eat toshikoshi soba?
Toshikoshi soba is eaten on New 12 months’s Eve, normally within the night or simply earlier than midnight on December thirty first as a technique to shut out the 12 months.
Can I make toshikoshi soba forward of time?
You’ll be able to put together the broth and toppings forward, however it’s best to cook dinner the soba noodles proper earlier than serving.
Why are soba noodles used as an alternative of different noodles?
Noodles made with buckwheat flour symbolize resilience and power, and they’re straightforward to chop, which represents letting go of the previous 12 months.
Can I eat toshikoshi soba after New 12 months’s Eve?
Historically, we eat it earlier than New 12 months’s Day, however having fun with it later is completely nice. We eat sizzling soba noodle soup all 12 months round.
I’d love to listen to how yours turned out! 💛 Please depart a star score and remark under to share your expertise. Your suggestions not solely helps Simply One Cookbook but in addition helps different residence cooks uncover recipes they’ll belief.
Forestall your display from going darkish
For the Soba Broth (from scratch)
For the Fast Soba Broth (non-compulsory, utilizing concentrated mentsuyu)
Earlier than You Begin
-
Collect all of the components. Non-compulsory: For the very best dashi taste, soak 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) in 3 cups water in a single day to make chilly brew kombu dashi. Should you don’t have time, begin soaking the kombu as quickly as you possibly can.
-
Whenever you’re prepared to arrange this dish, begin bringing an enormous pot of water to a boil for the soba noodles.
To Make the Soba Broth (from scratch)
-
Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and 3 cups water (or the cold-brew dashi with the kombu) to a medium saucepan. Slowly deliver it to a boil over medium-low warmth to extract probably the most taste from the kombu. When it is near boiling, take away the kombu. Nami’s Tip: You need to use the spent kombu to make furikake rice seasoning.
-
Add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and simmer for 30 seconds. Flip off the warmth and let the katsuobushi sink to the underside of the saucepan. Let it steep for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, put together the toppings.
-
Pressure the dashi by a sieve right into a measuring cup (or bowl), then put the dashi again into the saucepan.Nami’s Tip: Discard the spent katsuobushi or use it to make furikake rice seasoning.
-
Add 1 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (or common soy sauce), and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Carry it to a simmer. As soon as boiling, take away from the warmth, cowl, and put aside.
To Put together the Toppings
-
Rehydrate 2 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in 1 cup water. Then, squeeze the water out and put aside. Thinly slice 1 inexperienced onion/scallion.
-
Slide a knife beneath the kamaboko to detach it from the picket board. Thinly lower 4 slices kamaboko (fish cake).
To Cook dinner the Soba Noodles
-
Within the pot of boiling water, cook dinner 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) in accordance with the bundle directions. You do not want to salt the water.
-
Drain the soba noodles by a sieve and rinse them along with your fingers beneath chilly water to eliminate the starch. Shake off the surplus water and switch to particular person bowls.
To Serve
-
Pour the recent soup broth over the noodles. Prime with kamaboko, wakame seaweed, and inexperienced onions. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), when you‘d like. Serve instantly and luxuriate in.
To Make the Fast Soba Broth (with concentrated mentsuyu; non-compulsory)
-
Comply with your mentsuyu bottle directions to make the broth.
-
In a medium saucepan, mix 2⅓ cups water, ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), and 1 Tbsp mirin. Combine effectively. Carry it to a delicate simmer over medium warmth. Cowl with a lid and switch off the warmth. The soba broth is able to use.
We normally get pleasure from this noodle soup as a lightweight meal or snack by itself. Attempt these add-ons if you need a extra substantial meal.
Energy: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 17g, Fats: 1g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Ldl cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 761mg, Potassium: 308mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 212IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we will see your scrumptious creation!
Editor’s Be aware: This publish was initially printed on December 30, 2018, up to date on December 29, 2020, and republished with extra useful data on December 21, 2025.