Recipe Highlights
Because the yr 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 includes sitting all the way down to a bowl of humble noodle soup earlier than the stroke of midnight. This final meal of the yr 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 a protracted, peaceable life.
- Easy but satisfying – A fragile dashi broth and buckwheat noodles come along with just some toppings.
- Straightforward to make – With primary substances and a brief prep time, anybody can take pleasure in this custom at residence throughout this most vital time of yr.
Should you take pleasure in 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 energy, endurance, and longevity, whereas their simple texture represents letting go of the previous yr’s hardships. This custom dates again to the mid–late 1700s, when on a regular basis customs turned intently tied to needs for luck.
Components for Toshikoshi Soba
You possibly can take pleasure in any kind of soba noodle soup for toshikoshi soba. For my model, I hold issues easy with simple, 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) – elective
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
How one can 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. Deliver to a delicate simmer over medium warmth, then put aside.
- Put together the toppings. Rehydrate the wakame, slice the inexperienced onion, and minimize the kamaboko.
- Cook dinner the noodles. Boil the soba noodles in keeping with the bundle directions, then drain and rinse underneath 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 ideas will provide help to make a scrumptious toshikoshi soba recipe each time.
- Use good dashi. This soup (tsuyu) may 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.
- Preserve 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? Strive these simple and attractive 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: Preserve 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 most effective texture.
FAQs
When do you eat toshikoshi soba?
Toshikoshi soba is eaten on New 12 months’s Eve, often within the night or simply earlier than midnight on December thirty first as a method to shut out the yr.
Can I make toshikoshi soba forward of time?
You possibly can 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 energy, and they’re simple to chop, which represents letting go of the previous yr.
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 high-quality. We eat sizzling soba noodle soup all yr round.
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Stop your display from going darkish
For the Soba Broth (from scratch)
For the Fast Soba Broth (elective, utilizing concentrated mentsuyu)
Earlier than You Begin
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Collect all of the substances. Elective: For the most effective 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’ll be able to.
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If you’re prepared to organize this dish, begin bringing an enormous pot of water to a boil for the soba noodles.
To Make the Soba Broth (from scratch)
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Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and 3 cups water (or the cold-brew dashi with the kombu) to a medium saucepan. Slowly convey 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 should utilize the spent kombu to make furikake rice seasoning.
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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.
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Pressure the dashi by means of 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.
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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. Deliver it to a simmer. As soon as boiling, take away from the warmth, cowl, and put aside.
To Put together the Toppings
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Rehydrate 2 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in 1 cup water. Then, squeeze the water out and put aside. Thinly slice 1 inexperienced onion/scallion.
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Slide a knife underneath the kamaboko to detach it from the picket board. Thinly minimize 4 slices kamaboko (fish cake).
To Cook dinner the Soba Noodles
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Within the pot of boiling water, cook dinner 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) in keeping with the bundle directions. You don’t want to salt the water.
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Drain the soba noodles by means of a sieve and rinse them together with your fingers underneath chilly water to do away with the starch. Shake off the surplus water and switch to particular person bowls.
To Serve
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Pour the recent soup broth over the noodles. High with kamaboko, wakame seaweed, and inexperienced onions. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), in case you‘d like. Serve instantly and revel in.
To Make the Fast Soba Broth (with concentrated mentsuyu; elective)
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Observe your mentsuyu bottle directions to make the broth.
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In a medium saucepan, mix 2⅓ cups water, ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), and 1 Tbsp mirin. Combine effectively. Deliver 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 often take pleasure in this noodle soup as a light-weight meal or snack by itself. Strive 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
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Editor’s Observe: This submit was initially revealed on December 30, 2018, up to date on December 29, 2020, and republished with extra useful info on December 21, 2025.
