00:00Think all Japanese noodle soup tastes the same?
00:02This kakesoba says delicate beets heavy.
00:05Bonita flakes sink like snowfall, yuzu peel floats on top,
00:09and the aroma hits before the first sip.
00:12A printable version of this recipe is available on my website.
00:16You can google kakesoba sutachi to grab yours.
00:20Before we start, let's talk about the noodles.
00:23Unlike udon noodles, any variations are perfectly fine for soba noodles in my opinion.
00:29Get buckwheat soba whether it's fresh dried frozen from Japanese or Asian grocery stores
00:35or online for authentic flavour and convenience.
00:39For gluten-free, choose jiuwari soba, which is 100% buckwheat.
00:44It's more delicate, so stir gently and don't overcook.
00:49If you're up for a challenge, check out my homemade soba noodle recipe.
00:54Let's start with the kaeshi, the soul of your soba soup.
00:59In a small saucepan, combine 2 teaspoons of Japanese dark soy sauce,
01:03that's koiku shoyu, with 4 teaspoons of Japanese light soy sauce, usuku shoyu.
01:10Now, why this blend?
01:11I chose it to create a slightly lighter, more elegant broth colour while maintaining depth.
01:18Light soy sauce has a higher salt content but a paler colour and more delicate flavour profile
01:24than regular shoyu.
01:26If you only have regular Japanese soy sauce in your pantry, use that,
01:30but add just a tiny bit more to compensate for the lower salinity.
01:35Next, add one tablespoon of mirin, quarter teaspoon of sugar, and half tablespoon of sake.
01:43Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat and let it bubble actively for one minute.
01:49This cooks off the raw alcohol edge and mellows out the sharp angular salinity.
01:55The name kaeshi actually comes from the Edo period technique called nikaisu, meaning to simmer back,
02:03referring to this exact process of heating soy sauce to create a unified, sophisticated flavour profile.
02:11Once that minute is up, pull it off the heat and set aside to cool.
02:17Now, ideally, you'd want to refrigerate this for at least half a day, preferably overnight or longer.
02:23That ageing period lets the flavours marry beautifully.
02:27But if you're making it straight away, you can absolutely skip the ageing.
02:32I think it'll still be delicious.
02:34While that's cooling, let's work on the dashi.
02:37Pour 500ml of your prepared dashi into a separate pot.
02:42I'm using a 16cm Yukihira pot here.
02:47And heat it until you see the first tiny bubbles forming at the edges just before a full boil.
02:54You can make your preferred dashi style.
02:56Now, my recommendation for kakesoba is the classic konbu-katsuobushi combination.
03:01Since kakesoba is so delicate, homemade dashi is ideal, followed by high-quality tea bakusau dashi packets.
03:09Instant granulated dashi is an emergency backup, but certainly not my first choice for this.
03:16If you want to make it plant-based, you can prepare vegan dashi ahead of time.
03:21Turn off the heat immediately when you see those little bubbles.
03:27Now comes my small secret step that makes all the difference.
03:32Add approximately 3g of katsuobushi, that's about one small handful of bonito flakes.
03:39And cover the pot with a lid.
03:41Let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
03:45After 2 minutes, strain out the katsuobushi through a fine mesh sieve.
03:49This technique is called oigatsuo, which is basically a fresh bonito umami booster.
03:56Think of it as a finishing touch that adds aromatic top notes to your foundational dashi.
04:02Return the beautiful aromatic dashi to medium-low heat.
04:06Add your kaishi mixture and stir to combine.
04:10Now, here's the critical moment.
04:13Taste your broth.
04:14Always taste your kakesoba broth at near serving temperature.
04:18Too salty, add a splash of water or dashi.
04:22Not salty enough, a small pinch of salt or soy sauce.
04:26Too flat, a tiny bit more sugar has roundness.
04:30Remember, soba broth is traditionally more delicate than udon,
04:35so air on the side of subtle rather than assertive.
04:39Keep this broth warm on the lower setting while we handle the noodles.
04:45Okay, let's start cooking the noodles.
04:47The golden rule for soba noodle boiling is simple.
04:51Go big and go deep.
04:54Professionals use massive pots that hold gallons of water at once,
04:58maintaining a gentle rolling boil that lets noodles swim freely rather than clump together.
05:04At home, aim for about 2 liters of water per serving.
05:09Bring it to a vigorous rolling boil over high heat.
05:12When you see large bubbles breaking the surface consistently,
05:17add your two portions of soba noodles and cook for a tiny bit shorter than the package states.
05:24One serving of soba noodles before boiling is dry noodles,
05:28about 100 grams, and fresh noodles, 120 grams.
05:36Leave the lid off entirely, covering the pot creates too much heat buildup,
05:40causing the starch form to explode upward in an instant kitchen disaster.
05:46For the first minute after adding noodles, gently separate the strands with chopsticks or tongs,
05:52using a slow swimming motion rather than aggressive stirring.
05:56If the foam surges, lower the heat or pull the pot off the burner instead of adding water.
06:02That milky water you're boiling your noodles in isn't waste, it's soba-yu.
06:08Japanese soba culture includes pouring this starchy liquid into your leftover dipping sauce
06:13at the end of the meal, creating a warming soup.
06:16To show you, we'll save some on the side if you want to try it later.
06:23The moment your timer goes off, drain the noodles into a colander.
06:28Then immediately rinse them under cold running water.
06:32Ice water is even better.
06:34Gently massage the noodles as the water runs over them,
06:38working your fingers through to remove the slippery starch coating that formed during cooking.
06:45You might be thinking, wait, I'm making hot noodle soup, so why rinse them in cold water?
06:50Even though they'll end up in hot broth, this cold rinse and shock step
06:55is what gives them clean flavour and proper texture.
07:00Finally, pour hot water over the noodles to re-warm them.
07:04Make sure to do this right before assembling.
07:07Warming them too early will result in fragile noodles that break easily.
07:13An optional but recommended, also warm your serving balls with boiling water, then drain.
07:19This prevents heat loss, so the broth stays nice and hot.
07:22Then, put the noodles into your soup, and put the noodles into the soup.
07:24Assemble time.
07:25Then, portion the noodles into your bowls, pour in the beautiful, aromatic hot broth,
07:30and loosen once with chopsticks until the strands separate.
07:34And top in mine with finely chopped green onions, a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi, and yuzu peel.
07:42And let me tell you, yuzu peel really makes this soup elegant.
07:47Orange or mayo lemon is a good substitute.
07:51That citrus note just floats on top and transforms the whole experience through your nose.
07:58Of course, you can customize this however you like too.
08:02For richness, add an onsen tamago, tempura, or tenkasu.
08:06Want color and texture, add blanched spinach, rehydrated wakame seaweed, or sliced kamoboko fish cake.
08:15For sweet savory contrast, top with kitsune to transform this into kitsune soba,
08:20or add slices of seared duck breast for kamonanban soba.
08:25And don't forget you can enjoy that soba cooking liquid, the soba you, after finishing the bowl.
08:32Enjoy every warming delicious bite.
08:34Want even more delicious recipes?
08:36Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
08:40Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time.
08:43And if you're ready to cook, grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box
08:47with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
08:51That's a wrap.
08:52You can find the full printable version of this recipe on my website linked right here on the screen.
08:58It has all the extra details to help you get it perfect every time.
09:02If you enjoyed this, check out my other noodle recipes.
09:06And next week, I'm making castella cake.
09:08Hit subscribe so you don't miss it.
09:11See you then.
09:11See you then.
09:11Amen.
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