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While every Asian cuisine has their own range of slurp-licious noodles, the Japanese Soba is among the most distinctive: Thin noodle strands with an enticing light brown hue, firm yet smooth texture, and a satiating nutty taste. It’s no wonder that Soba is enjoyed in a myriad of umami delights – from a cooling summer dish, sushi and salads to stir-fries and steamy soups.
There’s actually a variety of Soba noodles. All made with the same base ingredient that gives its colour, texture and flavour: buckwheat flour.
What is Buckwheat Flour?
A flowering knotweed plant, buckwheat has been cultivated across East Asia since the dawn of agriculture. The earliest buckwheat cultivation found in Japan dates back to about 6,600 years ago. Although it’s not a cereal plant, buckwheat seeds look and taste similar to a grain with its high starch content. Thus, the seeds can be a cover crop between rice harvests, and ground into a flour for culinary purposes to this day.
Besides the alluring nutty flavour and subtle aroma, buckwheat is also a rich source of carbs, protein, dietary fibre, Vitamin B, and a host of essential minerals, which can bolster the goodness of noodles made from buckwheat flour.
Types of Soba Noodle
Soba noodles has a rich legacy in Japan, starting as a Zen Buddhist ritual food during the Edo period, and soon popularised by street vendors. Today, soba is a beloved household food, and dedicated soba restaurants are abundant across Japan.
To name a few soba noodle varieties:
Juwari Soba or Towari Soba is made with 100% buckwheat flour and water, leading to a more chewy and hard noodle. All other soba varieties contain a percentage of wheat flour to help form the dough more easily and yield a softer texture.
Ni-hachi Soba has a mild grainy fragrance as it contains 20% wheat and 80% buckwheat.
Shin Soba is made with newly harvested buckwheat, slightly sweeter and tastier than ‘regular’ soba.
Sarashina Soba has an off-white colour, made with refined buckwheat flour, and exudes a more delicate taste.
Inaka Soba or ‘country soba’ is dark brown, made from a coarser type of buckwheat flour that retains the seeds’ hull in its milling, thus giving it a thicker texture and strong nutty taste.
The famed Shinshu Soba is a specialty of Nagano Prefecture, where the land is particularly suited to produce the best-tasting buckwheat.
How to Enjoy Soba noodles
Soba noodles’ nutty buckwheat taste and slurpy texture is uniquely suited for the delicate flavours of Japanese cuisine, and its thinness makes it versatile for a myriad of cooking methods.
Here are 5 delicious faves to start you off:
Zaru Soba
Cooling and scrumptious, Zaru Soba is the quintessential Japanese cold noodles treat, garnished with strips of nori seaweed, and served with a richly savoury Mentsuyu dipping sauce that’s sure to whet your appetite. Try it with our recipe!
Soba Noodles Salad with Spicy Miso Dressing
Bring a savoury spicy zeal to your veggie fix with a slurp-tastic Soba noodles salad! Packed with wholesome goodies and made scrumptious with an exciting, delectable dressing. Make it fresh with our recipe!
Soba Noodles Soup with Fried Tofu
The traditional Kitsune Soba noodles soup gets its comforting savoury taste from dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin; plus the rich nutty Soba aroma and yummy flavour of seasoned Japanese fried tofu. A cozy dish to warm your heart and taste-buds. Have a slurp with our authentic recipe.
Stir-fried Pork with Soba Noodles
Whip up a hearty, mouth-watering stir fry delight with minced pork, soba noodles, shiitake shrooms, carrot and cabbage, enriched with a savoury Japanese-style sweet soy sauce blend. Every slurp is pleasure! Savour it with our recipe.
Duck Soba Noodles Soup
Relish the bold yummy taste of duck meat with smooth and nutty Soba noodles, in a rich savoury soup with shiitake mushrooms, bonito flakes and kombu seaweed. A fantastic one bowl wonder that comforts and satisfies. Come watch the full authentic recipe with Chef Masa!
Hakubaku Organic Soba Noodles
Made using high-quality organic buckwheat and wheat flours and made right here in Australia, Hakubaku Organic Soba noodles is our choice for authentic Soba enjoyment. Easily available at your local supermarket. Be sure to check out their full range of Japanese noodles as well. Grab a pack of Hakubaku Soba and check out the many gastronomic delights you can savour!
Fun fact: Did you know the Japanese word “Soba” holds two meanings? It can mean “buckwheat”, but it can also be used as a generic term for “noodle” like in ‘Yakisoba’, ‘Chukasoba’ and so on.
