00:00Say sesame soba in English, and you might picture a cold noodle salad.
00:04This is not that.
00:06This is cold soba you dip into a deep, nutty sesame sauce, like the soba shop in Japan.
00:11Let me show you.
00:13Start with cold dashi.
00:15Using real dashi here instead of plain water is what gives this sauce its depth.
00:20Homemade dashi packets are my go-to.
00:21Good store-board packets work just as well.
00:24Hence, instant granules will do in a pinch.
00:27If you want to go deeper on dashi, I have a whole video for that.
00:30Just get yours cold because a chilled sauce is what you want on a hot day.
00:36Now the sesame sauce.
00:37And here is the part you will not find in most sesame sauces.
00:41Spoon two tablespoons of sesame paste into a bowl.
00:44Add one tablespoon of toasted ground sesame.
00:47One tablespoon of sugar.
00:48And here's the secret.
00:50One and a half tablespoons of yellow miso.
00:53That little bit of miso brings body.
00:55A soft sweetness.
00:57And a savory depth you only miss when it's gone.
01:00Mix it all into a smooth, thick paste before a single drop of liquid goes in.
01:06Now add half a teaspoon of rice vinegar and stir until the paste turns glossy.
01:12Then pour in 250 milliliters of your cold dashi.
01:16A bit over one cup.
01:18Allow our time.
01:19Whisk in fully between each bowl until the sauce loosens to a dipping consistency you like.
01:26You might not need all of it, so hold some back if the sauce gets there early.
01:31Mix it in this order and it stays smooth because sesame paste is mostly oil.
01:37And the sugar and vinegar brings it together first so the dashi falls in without splitting.
01:43Add the liquid slowly and you stay in control the whole way.
01:48Finish with one teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, stirred in right at the end.
01:52You can serve it lukewarm or chill it in the fridge if you want it cold.
01:57Either way, that is a rich nutty dipping sauce and it came together in one bowl with a whisk.
02:04No sesame paste at home.
02:06Chinese sesame paste is the closest swap since it is roasted the same way.
02:11Tahini works too.
02:12Just stir in a few drops of toasted sesame oil and a spoon of toasted ground sesame seed
02:18to bring the roasted aroma back.
02:20And use a little extra since tahini runs thin.
02:24No rice vinegar, a mild apple cider vinegar or a small squeeze of lemon stands in fine.
02:31Now the topping.
02:32The pork is optional but I really recommend it.
02:35And if you want this to be a full lunch or dinner instead of a light bowl,
02:40it's the piece that gets you there.
02:42Take 200g of thinly sliced pork belly, about 7 oz.
02:47Cut into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle on a pinch of salt.
02:52Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the pork through until there is no pink left,
02:57then set it aside to cool.
03:00Now the soba.
03:01And this is the part that quietly decides everything.
03:05Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
03:08Far more water than you think you need.
03:10And drop in 200g of soba, about 7 oz.
03:14Cook it to the time on the package.
03:17One thing worth knowing when you buy your soba.
03:21Real backwheat soba runs on a spectrum.
03:24From 100% backwheat down to blends that are mostly wheat.
03:29So read the label if the earthy backwheat flavor matters to you.
03:33Whatever you pick, the trick that makes or breaks, the texture comes now at the sink.
03:39The moment the noodles are done, rinse them under cold running water and wrap them gently with your hands to
03:46wash the surface touch off.
03:49Then drop them into a bowl of ice water for a minute to tighten them up and snap the bite
03:55back.
03:56This is the step most people skip and it is the whole difference between springy soba and a soft mushy
04:02tangle.
04:03Now drain them hard and press the water out gently until the noodles are almost dry.
04:09Here's why that matters.
04:11The sauce is built thick on leather so it clings to every strand.
04:16And if the noodles go onto the plate still wet, that water thins the sauce right there and the whole
04:23bowl paste washed out.
04:25Pile the drained soba onto your plate or bamboo zaru.
04:29And lay the cucumber, tomato and cook the poke alongside.
04:33Pour the sesame sauce into individual dipping cups, one for each person.
04:38Then the yakumi.
04:40Finely chop some green onion and set out a little wasabi.
04:44Do not pile it all on at once, add a little taste and more.
04:48And let the bowl keep shifting as you eat so a single plate stays interesting right down to the last
04:55bite.
04:56Pick up a bundle of noodles, dip it into the sesame sauce and eat.
05:01That first cool nachi savoury bite is the whole reason you make this.
05:07Serve it cold with the sesame sauce in its own cup and the yakumi on the side.
05:14And this is my gomadaru soba.
05:15This is what a summer soba shop ball looks like on your own table.
05:21Make this tonight.
05:22Google sesame soba study for the full printable recipe with exact measurements and timing.
05:28Want even more delicious recipes?
05:31Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
05:35Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time.
05:38And if you're ready to cook, grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with
05:42a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
05:45Dab the recipe card on your screen for the full printable version with exact measurements,
05:49every timing and notes for getting each step right.
05:52Next time I'm making gilza soup.
05:55See you then.
05:56Dab the recipe card on your screen for the full printable version with exact measurements,
06:01every timing and notes for getting each step right.
06:03Dab the recipe card on your screen for the full printable version with exact measurements.
06:07Dab the recipe card on your screen, the full printable version with exact measurements.
