Soba noodle is one of the most beloved traditional Japanese foods in Japan. Many people enjoy soba dishes for lunch, and there are soba restaurants (many are hand-made) and stands everywhere in Japan. At home, soba makes a very popular meal. This is my quick soba noodle dish I love and make all the time for lunch, and I change the toppings according to what I have in my fridge or pantry. Sometimes, I serve with just mushrooms, wakame seaweed, or even completely plain with a dash of yuzu citrus zest. With the porous body of the donabe, I like that the broth stays hot until the end of the meal.
Vegan option
Substitute kombu & bonito dashi with kombu dashi, kombu & shiitake mushroom dashi, or vegetable stockEquipment
Classic-style Donabe (Small: 0.8-qt/ 800 ml or larger)Servings
1Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) kombu and bonito dashi or your choice of stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 2 oz (60 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, sliced
- 2 green onions, very thinly-sliced at an angle (total about 1/2 loose cup or 120 ml)
- 1 serving (3 oz/ 90 g) dry soba noodle
Procedure
- Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in the donabe. Bring to a simmer. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the soba according to the package’s instructions. Rinse the soba in running cold water, then submerge in a very hot water briefly to warm it. Drain again, and add immediately to the hot broth.
- Top the soba with the green onion, and serve immediately. Sprinkle with some shichimi togarashi to enjoy.
Soba is just ready. The piping hot broth smells so good. 
Soba is topped with green onion and sprinkled with some shichimi togarashi. 
Itadakimasu!
