Japanese Homemade Soba And Udon Recipe

Mix and form dough

Combine 2 cups buckwheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Dissolve 1 tsp salt into 3 cups cold water (reserve a few tablespoons to adjust). Gradually add water to the flour, mixing with chopsticks or a fork until the mixture holds together but is still shaggy. If too dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time; if too wet, dust with a little extra buckwheat flour. When it begins to clump, press and knead gently in the bowl until it forms a cohesive dough (about 5 minutes).

Knead and rest

Transfer dough to a clean work surface dusted lightly with potato/cornstarch. Knead for 5–8 minutes until smooth and slightly firm. Form into a rectangular log, wrap in plastic, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and allow hydration.

Roll and cut

After resting, flatten the dough with your hands and roll with a rolling pin to a rectangle roughly 2–3 mm thick, using potato/cornstarch to prevent sticking. Fold the sheet lightly into thirds or roll loosely, dust with starch between folds, and cut into 2–3 mm wide strips for soba. Unfold noodles, shake to separate, and dust lightly with starch to prevent sticking.

Cook

Bring a large pot of water (not salted) to a rolling boil. Add soba noodles and stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook for 3–4 minutes (fresh soba) or until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water for the broth if desired. Drain and immediately plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking and firm the texture if serving cold, or drain and transfer directly to bowls if serving hot; if hot, briefly rinse under warm water to remove surface starch.

Make dough

In a large bowl, dissolve 2 tsp salt into 1.5 cups lukewarm water. Add salt water gradually to 4 cups flour, mixing with your hand until incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. If dough is warm, add up to 1/4 cup ice water while kneading to cool the dough and strengthen the gluten.

Knead and rest

Knead the dough on a floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic, and let rest for 45–60 minutes at room temperature; pressing on it will show it has relaxed.

Roll, fold and cut

On a floured surface (use starch or flour), roll the dough into a rectangle about 4 mm thick. Fold the sheet into thirds or roll loosely, dusting with starch to prevent sticking. Cut into 3–4 mm wide strips for thick udon noodles. Unfold and dust with starch to separate.

Cook

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add udon and stir to separate. Fresh udon cooks in 8–10 minutes (depending on thickness); check for chewy, tender texture. Reserve 1 cup cooking water if using to loosen broth. Drain and rinse briefly under warm water if serving hot, or plunge into ice bath if serving cold.

Make kombu dashi

Wipe kombu lightly with a damp cloth (do not remove too much white powder). Place kombu and 8 cups cold water in a pot and soak 30 minutes (or up to several hours for deeper flavor). Slowly heat until just before boiling (small bubbles around edges). Remove kombu just before boiling to avoid bitterness.

Add bonito

Bring to a gentle boil for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and add 1 cup katsuobushi. Let steep for 5–10 minutes, until flakes sink. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth and discard solids. You now have ichiban dashi (about 7–8 cups). Keep warm or cool and refrigerate if making ahead.

Combine and simmer

Measure 4 cups of the prepared dashi into a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, and 2 tsp sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 2–3 minutes to marry flavors. Taste and adjust: add a little more soy sauce for saltiness or a splash more mirin for sweetness. Remove from heat. For concentrated tsuyu (for dipping), reduce by simmering to about half volume or use ratio 5:1 dashi:soy for serving; for soup use the measured amounts above.

Adjust for serving

For hot noodle soup, ladle mentsuyu into bowls and dilute with hot dashi if too strong (roughly 1:1 to taste). For cold soba dipping sauce, cool the mentsuyu and serve concentrated with a small bowl of sliced scallions, wasabi, and grated daikon.

Prepare toppings

Slice scallions thinly on the bias. Cut nori into thin strips with scissors. If using kamaboko, slice. If serving eggs, soft-boil for 6–7 minutes, cool in ice water, peel and halve. Blanch spinach briefly (30 seconds) in boiling water, cool and squeeze out excess water.

Assemble hot noodle bowls

Place cooked hot soba or udon in warmed bowls. Pour hot mentsuyu (diluted to taste) over noodles. Top with scallions, nori strips, sesame seeds, blanched spinach, kamaboko slices, and a halved egg. Add tempura on the side or on top to keep crisp. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi if desired.

Assemble cold soba (zarusoba) or cold udon

Drain and chill noodles in ice bath, then drain well. Arrange on a zaru (bamboo tray) or plate dusted with nori. Serve chilled concentrated mentsuyu in individual dipping bowls with scallions, grated daikon, and wasabi. Dip a small amount of noodles into the sauce and eat. For cold udon, serve similarly or with a light sesame or soy-vinegar dressing if preferred.

Storage and tips

Fresh homemade noodles are best same day. Cooked noodles can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container with a little oil to prevent sticking for up to 24 hours. Dashi keeps 2–3 days refrigerated. Mentsuyu keeps 1 week refrigerated. Reheat gently; avoid boiling mentsuyu to preserve aroma.