Soba in Chicken Broth
Submitted by beck7307
Japanese soba noodles in ginger-miso chicken broth with shiitake mushrooms, gai lan, and fresh cilantro. Restaurant-quality slurpable noodle soup ready in 40 minutes at home.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minSoba noodles in a savory miso broth is one of those Japanese dishes that feels deeply restorative in a way few others manage, light enough to slurp on a warm night but warming on a cold one. Buckwheat soba noodles bring nutty earthiness, while shiitake mushrooms and a fresh ginger broth do the heavy aromatic lifting.
The “shocked noodle” technique is the secret to perfect soba. Instead of boiling continuously, you add cold water several times to interrupt the boil. This keeps the strands from going slimy on the outside while the inside cooks through. Drain, rinse hard, and rake them apart with your fingers, soba clumps fast.
The miso must be added at the end, off direct heat. Boiling kills the live cultures and dulls the funk that makes miso taste alive. Whisk it with a ladle of broth first to dissolve smoothly, then stir back into the pot with the gai lan or spinach for a final two-minute simmer. Cilantro and grated daikon as a garnish add brightness and a little peppery bite at the end.
Chef Tips
- Use white miso for a milder, sweeter broth, or red miso for a deeper, saltier finish.
- Rinse soba thoroughly under cold water after draining to wash off excess starch and prevent stickiness.
- Slice shiitake stems off and save them for stock, the caps deliver all the eating texture.
- Taste the broth before adding miso, it might already be salty enough from the soy sauce.
Variations
Ingredients
stems removed, slivered, or use regular mushrooms if you can't find shiitake
Directions
In large pot, bring at least 3 qts water to a boil.
Slowly add soba.
When water returns to a boil, add ½ cup cold water.
Repeat steps of returning water to a boil and adding cold water 2 or 3 times, until the noodles are just tender (it will take 5 to 7 minutes total.)
Drain and rinse well, working your fingers through the strands to separate them.
Set aside. Combine chicken broth and ginger in the large pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add mushrooms and simmer for 8 minutes.
Add sake or mirin, tamari or soy sauce and rice-wine vinegar.
In a small bowl, whisk a ladleful of the broth with miso to dissolve it; return the mixture to the pot, along with gan lan or spinach.
Simmer for 2 minutes more and remove from the heat.
Divide the noodles among soup bowls and ladle the soup over the top.
Garnish with cilantro and daikon or bean sprouts.
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