Kake soba is the most simple form of Japanese soba noodles served with flavorful hot broth. This recipe includes how to make a delicious dashi base from scratch using bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and dried kelp (kombu).
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Kake soba translates to ‘pour over soba’. As the name suggests, it consists of cooked noodles and simple umami rich broth. While it is a popular every-day food in Japan, it is also eaten often as New Year’s Eve food to wish for good fortune.
Kake soba can be served with a wide range of toppings such as scallions, seaweed, shichimi pepper, or even proteins. It is truly comforting, delicious, and easy to make at home!
Which soba noodles should I use?
To make this dish gluten-free, use 100% buckwheat soba (also called Jyu-wari soba). This type of soba only includes buckwheat flour, and it is a great way to enjoy the nutty, earthy aroma of the buckwheat.
One thing to keep in mind - 100% buckwheat soba noodles are more prone to breaking when overcooked compared to the ones with wheat flour mixed in. Make sure to cook 1 minute shorter than directed on the package. The noodles continue to cook in the hot broth!
Ingredients for this recipe
- Water
- Konbu (dreid kelp)
- Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- Mirin
- Tamari soy sauce
- Dry soba
How to make kake soba
1. Soak. Fill a saucepan with 3 cups water. Leave the konbu in the water for 30 minutes.
2. Make konbu dashi. Bring the water (with konbu) to a boil. Once boiled, take the konbu out of the water, then turn down to medium heat.
3. Add katsuo dashi. Add the dried bonito to the konbu dashi broth. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the dashi through a sieve and transfer to another bowl. Squeeze all the liquid out of the bonito to get maximum flavor.
4. Season the dashi broth. Put the dashi back into the saucepan. Add mirin and soy sauce. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
5. Cook soba. Cook the soba 1 minute shorter than directed on the package. Drain the water and split the noodles into 2 bowls.
6. Serve. Pour the dashi broth over soba. Optional: top with scallions and shichimi pepper.
Tips
- Make sure the broth is ready before starting to cook the noodles.
- Soba noodles absorb liquid quickly once they are put in the broth. I like to undercook the soba by 1 minute but adjust to your preference.
FAQ
Yes, this broth can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.
There's still so much flavor in used bonito and konbu! Here are some ideas.
1. Chop them up and mix into fried rice or stir fry for an extra boost of umami.
2. Chop finely, and cook with a dash of tamari soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to make homemade furikake.
More noodle recipes...
- Beef Bulgogi Noodles
- Spicy Mazesoba (Japanese Brothless Noodles with Pork)
- Beef Yakisoba (Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles)
Recipe
Kake Soba
Equipment
- 1 x mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 0.21 ounces konbu (dried kelp) 6grams
- 0.35 ounces katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 10grams
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce
- 4 ounces dry 100% buckwheat soba
Optional toppings
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Shichimi pepper
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with 3 cups water. Leave the konbu in the water for 30 minutes.
- Bring the water (with konbu) to a boil. Once boiled, take the konbu out of the water, then turn down to medium heat.
- Add the dried bonito to the konbu broth. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the broth through a sieve and transfer to another bowl. Squeeze all the liquid out of the bonito to get maximum flavor. You should see about 2 ½ cup of dashi.
- Put the dashi broth back into the saucepan. Add mirin and soy sauce. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Cook the soba 1 minute shorter than directed on the package. Drain the water and split the noodles into 2 bowls.
- Pour the broth over the soba. Optional: top with scallions and shichimi pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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