All about Soba
I love Soba noodles and I think they are very delicious and smooth to my palate. Which makes it my favorite noodle to use whenever I am stir frying or making soups. The main ingredient in Soba noodles are usually buckwheat. I can probably write an entire post about how health buckwheat is for you but we’ll just leave it at that – it’s healthy for you. However, pure buckwheat soba falls apart rather easily when cooked so a binder is use to make the soba noodles more stable. The usual ingredient used as a binder is wheat flour. According to the Japan Agricultural Standards regulations, the noodles have to contain at least 30% buckwheat in order to be called soba but noodles with a high buckwheat content are seen as more desirable.
In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of situations. They are a popular inexpensive fast food at train stations throughout Japan, they are served by exclusive and expensive specialty restaurants, and they are also made at home. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy.
Some establishments, especially cheaper and more casual ones, may serve both soba and udon (thick wheat noodles) as they are often served in a similar manner. However, soba is traditionally the noodle of choice for Tokyoites. This tradition originates from the Edo period when the population of Edo (Tokyo), being considerably wealthier than the rural poor, were more susceptible to beri beri due to their high consumption of white rice which is low in thiamine, and are thought to have made up for this by regularly eating thiamine-rich soba. Every neighborhood had one or two soba establishments, many also serving sake, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would drop by casually.
To serve soba noodles, it is usually served cold during the summer with a dipping sauce and eaten with chopsticks. You can also serve it hot in broth as well.
Here’s a recipe I found for cold Soba noodles simply because we are in the summer:
1 lb Japanese soba noodles
1/2 lg Red bell pepper, cut in
-julienne strips
3 Ribs celery, sliced on a
-bias
3 Green onions, sliced on a
-bias
2 tb Vegetable off
2 tb Oriental sesame oil
2 tb Red wine vinegar
2 tb Plus 2 ts soy sauce
2 tb Plus 2 ts granulated sugar
2 tb Plus 2 ts Vietnamese chili
-paste, or to taste
Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold
water and drain completely. Toss noodles in a large bowl with bell
pepper, celery and green onions.
To prepare the dressing: Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, vinegar,
soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Pour over noodle mixture and toss
until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.
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