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SOBA NOODLES

Soba (そば) noodles are noodles made of buckwheat flour, roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. Soba dishes are very popular and easily available nationwide. As 100% buckwheat soba noodles tend to be brittle, many restaurants add some wheat flour when preparing their noodles. Depending on the shop, the percentage of buckwheat flour in soba noodles typically ranges between 40% and 100%.

Note also that there are a few noodle dishes named soba (e.g. yakisoba, chukasoba or Okinawa Soba) that are not made with buckwheat noodles. More often than not, however, "soba" refers to buckwheat noodles.

Like pasta, soba noodles are available in dried form in supermarkets, but they taste best if freshly made by hand from flour and water. Soba making has long been a popular hands-on activity for domestic and international travelers. The activity is offered by many craft villages and travel tour companies.

Popular soba dishes

Soba can be served either hot or cold. Below are some of the more common varieties tourists will encounter from our menu.

Mori/Zaru Soba (cold)...............................................RM 7.40

The most basic kind of chilled soba served on a tray with a simple chilled dipping sauce (tsuyu) served on the side. The dipping sauce is usually a mixture of soup stock, water and mirin. 

Kake Soba (hot).........................................................RM 5.80

Soba noodles served in a bowl of hot, clear broth. The broth is made of the same components as the dipping sauce for the chilled soba, but in a lower concentration.

Kitsune Soba (hot/cold)............................................RM 6.00

Kitsune Soba comes with a piece of aburaage, thin sheets of fried tofu, on top of the soba noodles. When in Osaka, if you wanted soba with a piece of aburaage on top, you will have to ask for Tanuki Soba instead.

Tanuki Soba (hot/cold)..............................................RM 4.30

Tanuki Soba is served with a helping of tenkasu, crunchy bits of leftover fried tempura batter. In Osaka, the same soba with a helping of tenkasu is known as Haikara Soba.

Tempura Soba (hot/cold)........................................RM 12.60

This soba dish comes with a serving of tempura either on the side or on top of the noodles. There are usually three to five different kinds of tempura pieces, and the ingredients varies from shop to shop. The noodles are served either on a tray (as on the photo) or in a soup.

Tsukimi Soba (hot)....................................................RM 8.80

The literal translation of Tsukimi is "moon watching" and hence, Tsukimi Soba has a raw egg which is supposed to resemble the moon.

Sansai Soba (hot)......................................................RM 6.50

Sansai Soba is served with cooked sansai (wild vegetables) placed on top of the noodles in the broth.

Nanban Soba (hot)....................................................RM 7.30

Nanban Soba usually refers to broth that has leek added to it. Most times, nanban soba has either chicken or duck in the broth as well, and the inclusion of meat is also reflected on the menu, i.e. Tori Nanban Soba (chicken) and Kamo Nanban Soba (duck).