Soba noodles are thin Japanese noodles made with buckwheat and wheat flour. They can be served hot or cold and are popular in traditional Japanese dishes. They are distinct from udon noodles and are gaining popularity in fusion cuisine. They are considered sweet and nutty and add flavor to prepared dishes.
Soba noodles are thin Japanese noodles made with at least 30% buckwheat. Since buckwheat tends not to stick closely together, the noodles also include a regular wheat flower. They look a lot like spaghetti noodles except they are light brown in color. They are quite popular in Japan and are gaining popularity in many other places. They also form the basis for many traditional Japanese dishes.
These noodles can be served hot or cold. They often form the basis for traditional cold dishes, including soba topped with Japanese sweet potatoes, daikon radish, sliced okra, or fermented soybeans. Hot noodles are often served in soup. Specifically, hot tsuyu is a diluted version of cold tsuyu that serves as a dipping sauce for cold soba noodles.
The noodles can be served in other types of broth, topped with shallots or fish cakes. Alternatively, hot ones can form the basis for serving tempura, fried vegetables and prawns, fried tofu, or a raw egg that is poached in the hot liquid of a broth.
On New Year’s Eve, soba noodles are served quite often. Japanese custom requires that you give them a loud shout, as this is considered polite. In America she used to give bread to new homeowners as a means of welcoming them into their home. In Japan, traditionally, uncooked soba noodles were offered when families moved or bought a new home.
Soba noodles are distinct from another very popular form of noodle called udon, which are much thicker, somewhat equivalent to the thickness of noodles. Udon is often made solely from wheat, rather than a mix of buckwheat and wheat. The popularity of each type tends to be regional. Soba noodles are more popular in some areas of Japan than thicker noodles; in Tokyo, for example, soba tends to be preferred to udon.
Small cafés and small stands in train stations are popular places to grab a quick plate of hot or cold noodles. Many people also make them at home and can easily buy them dried at grocery stores. Both soba and udon can be offered in local cafes.
Some European chefs have integrated soba noodles into fusion cuisine recipes, merging Eastern and Western flavors. Some dishes include seared meat such as turkey cutlets over hot spaghetti, pasta salad made with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and soba or soba served as a bed for fried bacon.
Many outside Japan find the taste delicious, although some prefer to eat them hot. They are often considered somewhat sweet and nutty. Many believe they are superior to Italian pasta because they have a more distinctive taste that adds flavor to prepared dishes.
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