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Zaru Soba (Cold Soba Noodles) ざるそば

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What do you usually eat in your country when it’s hot and you have no appetite? In Japan, during the unbearable hot and humid summer, classic cold Japanese noodle, Zaru Soba (ざるそば) is the perfect dish to cool down!

Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Dipping Sauce) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

What is Zaru Soba?

Zaru Soba is a chilled noodle dish made from buckwheat flour and served with soy sauce based dipping sauce called tsuyu (つゆ).

The word zaru means “a strainer” in Japanese and the name of the dish was derived from the way the noodles are served over a bamboo strainer during Edo Period.

In today’s recipe, I share how to make homemade dipping sauce, Mentsuyu (noodle soup base), but you can buy a bottle of Mentsuyu in Japanese or Asian grocery store to save time.

Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Dipping Sauce) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Soba – Buckwheat Noodles

There are different kinds of soba noodles in Japan, the primary differences between the varieties are texture and flavors.

Ju-wari Soba (十割そば) is made of 100% buckwheat flour. It has dry and rough texture so the noodles are easily broken compared to Hachi-wari Soba. Ju-wari soba has strong buckwheat aroma and flavor, and it is hard to make Ju-wari Soba because of its dry and crumbly texture.

Hachi-wari Soba (八割そば) is made from 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour. Hachi-wari means 80% in Japanese. The noodle is much smoother and it has al dente texture. Unlike Ju-wari Soba, it’s easy to swallow and chew. However, the buckwheat aroma is less than Ju-wari.

It’s hard to say which soba is tastier and more delicious; it really depends on personal preference.

By the way, you might have seen packages of green or pink soba noodles in Japanese grocery stores.

Cha Soba – Green Tea Soba (茶そば) is flavored with small amount of green tea powder in the soba to give a subtle green tea taste and green color.

Ume Soba – Ume Plum Soba (梅そば) is flavored with Japanese ume plum and have a slight pink color.

Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles with Dipping Sauce) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

How To Eat Soba Noodles

At the table, you’ll have a plate of soba noodles, a dipping sauce bowl/cup, a pitcher with tsuyu inside, and small dishes with green onion/wasabi.

First, fill out a dipping bowl/cup 1/3 full with tsuyu, and add another 1/3 with water. If you like, you can put some condiments of your choice such as green onion and wasabi. Then pick up some soba noodles, dip in the tsuyu briefly, and slurp the noodles up.

The dipping sauce is very salty, so don’t soak the noodles in the sauce for a long time.

When you’re done with noodles, you can pour the reserved sobayu (そば湯) – soba cooking water – to the rest of your dipping sauce and enjoy as a soup.

Tenzaru (天ざる) – Zaru Soba with Tempura

My mom usually serves with Vegetable Tempura and Shrimp Tempura, but honestly when it’s super hot outside, who wants to deep fry… But if you’re up for a full meal, make some tempura and serve with Zaru Soba!

Shrimp Tempura | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Shrimp Tempura

Vegetable Tempura | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Vegetable Tempura

I hope you will enjoy making this Zaru Soba recipe!  If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook.  Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!

Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Zaru Soba (Cold Soba Noodles)
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 14 oz. (397 g) dried soba noodle
  • 1 part dipping sauce (Mentsuyu), see below
  • 1 part iced water
Dipping Sauce (Mentsuyu) (1 cup concentrated sauce)
Toppings/Garnish
  • Kizami Nori (finely shredded nori sheets)
  • 2 green onions
  • Wasabi (optional)
    Zaru Soba Ingredients
Instructions
Dipping Sauce:
  1. In a medium saucepan, add ¼ cup sake and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Let the alcohol evaporate for a few seconds.
    Zaru Soba New 1
  2. Add ½ cup soy sauce and ½ cup + 1 Tbsp. mirin.
    Zaru Soba New 2
  3. Add 1 x 1 inch (2.5 x 2.5 cm) kombu and 1 cup dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi).
    Zaru Soba New 3
  4. Bring it to boil and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside until it cools down. Strain the sauce and set aside. You can keep the sauce in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
    Zaru Soba New 4
Boil Soba Noodles:
  1. Boil a lot of water in a large pot. Unlike pasta, you DO NOT add salt to the water. Add dried soba noodles in the boiling water in circulate motion, separating the noodles from each other. Cook soba noodles according to the package instructions (each brand is slightly different). Once in a while stir the noodles so they don’t stick to each other. Check the tenderness and do not overcook. Before you drain, reserve 1 to 1 ½ cup of soba cooking water "Sobayu" (Read what you use this for in the blog post).
    Zaru Soba New 5
  2. Drain the soba noodles into the sieve and rinse the noodles to get rid of starch under running cold water. This is a very important step.
    Zaru Soba New 6
  3. Shake off the sieve to drain completely and transfer the noodles to the iced water in a large bowl. Set aside till the noodles are cool.
    Zaru Soba New 7
  4. To serve the noodles, place a bamboo sieve or mat over a plate (to catch water from noodles). Put soba noodles and garnish shredded nori sheet on top.
    Zaru Soba New 8
  5. Put one part of cooled dipping sauce and 2-3 parts of iced water in a serving pitcher or small individual bowls.
    Zaru Soba New 9
  6. Put chopped green onions and wasabi on a small plate and serve with the soba noodles.
    Zaru Soba New 10
Notes
One Serving = 3.5 oz (100 g) dried noodles (pasta, soba noodles, udon noodles)

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

Editor’s Note: The original post was published in August, 2011.  The post is updated with new images and video in July, 2016.

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  1. I love Zaru Soba! I feel guilty when I get it at a restaurant because it’s so easy to make at home. I haven’t made homemade tsuyu in a long time, too lazy…lol My mom had the best recipe for it. There are a couple of restaurants around here that make their soba noodles. One is Gonpachi from Japan, have you heard of the restaurant? Now you are making want soba! I love your photos too! They turned out beautifully :o)

    1
    Reply to Kay Ecker'> Reply

    • OMG! I didn’t know Gonpachi 権八 is in Beverly Hills! We have Sumiyaki & Soba/Tempura Gonpachi near my station in Japan! They make handmade Soba Noodles. LA has definitely more authentic Japanese restaurants! P.S. I’ll read Japanese for you so please please share your mom’s recipe. 😉

      67
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  3. Nami, I love so much looking at your beautiful presentation and all the bowl, plates… (what is the blue fabric? Just blue fabric? I really like the pattern). No need to make any new photos for your future paper cooking book :-)
    I am a big fan of soba (soba shochu is great too!) and have recently bought a package of cha soba. It was fabulous.
    I hope you realise how precise and detailed your instructions are. You are an excellent teacher. Now, thanks to you, I will never have sticky or slimy noodles. See, I even enjoy reading your cooking instructions, not to mention the introductory text and looking a the beautiful photos. I would love to have the zaru too!
    The dipping sauce looks a bit like the stock I made for udon, but maybe there is more soy sauce?
    Have a wonderful weekend!

    3
    Reply to Sissi'> Reply

  4. I’ve heard about these noodles but haven’t been able to find it here. I guess I need to have a closer look to the Japanese section of my Chinese supermarket. If they don’t have it, oh well I’ll be in the States next year and will get them then. I like the simplicity of this recipe, but I don’t know if I can eat it just like this. I am a MEAT eater and there has to be some protein with the meal =) What would you recommend?

    PS: good to hear that your daughter is better!

    4
    Reply to Lilly'> Reply

    • I think I’m going to clean out the pantry today and do sesame soba with spinach & edamame and miso soup for lunch! I start eating soba b/c it has so much protein for a noodle. Package here says 8g per serving! But shrimp is my go-to if I’m going to throw in a protein.

      58
      Reply to emily'> Reply

    • We usually eat with Shrimp (or some white fish) and vegetable tempura with Soba. However if you go to Japan, you will sometimes see a set lunch menu with small size of Zaru Soba with small size of some meat dish. But we don’t eat meat and soba in one food… :-)

      68
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  11. I love zaru soba, my favourite way to enjoy soba! I even let my husband and kids do the slurping sounds (only time they are allowed to!) but I cannot ‘slurp’ myself. My boiling method is different though (http://alessandrazecchini.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-cook-zaru-soba.html) don’t know if it would make much difference, and the sauce of course is vegetarian, actually vegan, (plus I prefer soy sauce to mirin) but still delicious.
    Uhm, I still got a packet a friend got me in Japan, I may make it on Sunday :-).

    Ciao
    Alessandra

    11
    Reply to Alessandra'> Reply

    • Hi Alessandra! I just checked your link and I loved how well you explained about zaru soba! Such a great post!!! You’re right – our boiling method is different but I used to follow the traditional method like you. However, when I received very good quality soba from Japan, the package said “no adding water while boiling”, so it got me curious and did some research. Back then before we have gas or electric stove, we couldn’t control the temperature well so that’s why they add water to stop water from over spilling. It was an old technique that we still practice and I kind of like it. As a kid, it was so confusing to remember how to cook zaru soba because of adding water technique. LOL. Thanks for writing Alessandra! Ciao!

      26
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  13. Cold soba noodles are one of my favourites and I love how you’ve done it up here with simple, seasonal green onion, and tantalizing dipping sauces. I friend of mine just gave me some fragrant, garden fresh green onion – yeah! Fabulous Nami.

    13
    Reply to Kelly'> Reply

  15. How come I never thought of making this to go with the vegetables and shrimp fritters I made the other day. I am into making Japanese food crazy now and your website is a great help. I already bookmarked a few to try it out once I gather all the ingredients. Thanks to all your wonderful recipe Nami.

    15
    Reply to Gertrude'> Reply

  17. If I visit Japan this is one of the dishes I will try for sure. I have seen so many videos about soba noodles. It seems so simple and served really plainly (no meat, veges etc) but the taste will blow you away. I don’t know myself but thats what I understand. Soba is made from buckwheat if I am not wrong, I ate that often when I stayed in Russia but in terms of taste its something very different:) It filled me up but didn’t blow me away!Have a great weekend and I hope you daughter has recovered after eating the wonton soup, I am sure she has:)

    17
    Reply to Mr. Three-Cookies'> Reply

    • If you go to Japan, Mr. Three-Cookies, I really hope that you go to the soba specialized restaurant where they even show you how they make soba (you might be able to see how they cut soba etc…). Nothing better than freshly made soba, just like pasta! It’s so good that you don’t need anything else. :-)

      69
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  22. Never tried soba..I didnt even know that they were not made with flour but buckwheat.That makes them grain free right? Buckwheat is consumed in Indian culture during fasting days- when we are supposed to eat only fruits & non-grains! So I can eat these instead? :) ..joking!
    Have a fun weekend!

    22
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

    • There are varieties of soba noodles. If you only want 100% buckwheat then you have to buy the finest (and most expensive) kind called Juuwari (100%) soba. The one I used for this recipe is 70% buckwheat and 30% wheat. Hope this helps. :-)

      70
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  24. I truly wish I could learn to like Kizami Nori, but the smell and taste simply reminds me of bad fish. My sushi is wrapped with soy papers, and I love it.

    After seeing your photograph for this recipe, it occurred to me that I might try sprinkling just a tiny bit on my noodles. Maybe I can educate my taste buds! Don’t give up on me yet.

    24
    Reply to Helen in Houston'> Reply

    • Hi Helen! Yes, nori can be a challenge for someone who don’t like fishy taste. The sushi nori sheet has very distinct smell and flavor and it is probably an acquired taste for non-Japanese. I don’t recognized any of it because I grow up with it. LOL. You taught me about soy paper – I didn’t know about this!

      71
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  28. I love soba noodles but never had them in anything cold. This looks like a great summer dish, if summer lasts for a little while more for us folks here in Seattle.

    What an awesome blog you have! Too bad I didn’t find you earlier. Big fan now! :)

    29
    Reply to Manju'> Reply

  33. I just made soba last week too- it was Kim Chee Soba though. :) Soba is so good, one of my favorite Japanese comfort food places makes a good Zaru Udon- complete with grated daikon and tempura crispies. YUM!!!

    34
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

  36. Nami, what beautiful noodles. You do everything just right…so I know I’d be a fan of these lovely noodles. Love your stunning photos as always…next time you’re in Indiana, can you give me some tips????? 😉

    37
    Reply to Liz'> Reply

  38. Interestingly, soba is usually served chilled in most Japanese restaurants in Singapore. Zaru Soba (and soba noodles) is an acquired liking for me as I did not enjoy cold noodles in the past. The only warm noodle soups served up in Jap. eateries are either udon or ramen. So I did not have the chance to try soba noodles till I cook soba noodles soup (warm of course!) at home. As I embrace soba noodles (with love:p ), I was then open to try Zaru Soba and totally enjoyed it.

    39
    Reply to tigerfish'> Reply

  43. How Simple and yet Delicious… Thanks for the dipping sauce recipe. I have something for plain boiled noodles. I sometime eat egg noodles boiled, washed with soy and some salt and pepper. Am I crazy:-) This looks really nice Nami.

    44
    Reply to Reem'> Reply

  46. I have to thank you for posting this recipe because I’ve always wanted to get the topping and the sauce right! If you ask my husband, he will tell you that I am absolutely obsessed with Zaru Soba. I order it anytime we visit a Japanese restaurant.

    Your plating here is stunning!! This has to be the most beautiful soba dish out of all the restaurants I’ve been to!

    47
    Reply to Jessica'> Reply

  50. This is another of those “famous” dishes that I had noted to eat while in Japan! I was so curious about them as we have buckwheat pasta too (it is called pizzoccheri) but it is only eaten hot and in a very specific manner (not light at all… it is a dish from the Alps). I love buckwheat! Great post and the most beautiful pictures ever! You are an artist Nami!!! <3

    51
    Reply to Manu'> Reply

  54. Nami, I can not tell you how many times I’ve purchased the soba noodle sauce but never used them, ended up having to throw them away after they’ve expired. Thank you for sharing the sauce recipe! The noodles look so refreshing and yummy, think I will give it a try soon (after trying your lotus roots and chicken wings recipes)!

    55
    Reply to Cindy'> Reply

  56. I love the simplicity of this dish. It is clear from your description that there is a lot more to zaru soba than meets the eye. I love recipes that are simple to prepare but are complex and in flavour.

    57
    Reply to Val'> Reply

  60. Oh dear. I haven’t had soba like this for years!! My mom would also shave Asian pear and raw daikon into the sauce. I heard there’s even a “proper” way of slurping up those noodles. I for one will be making lots of happy slurp noises while eating this!

    62
    Reply to sophia'> Reply

  68. Hello,
    I made this dish tonight and it is fantastic! So simple and easy, I didn’t think I’d be satisfied, but I am full in a good way. I wished the sauce had been a bit stronger, but fixed that by adding a dash of shoyu to the dipping sauce at dinner time. Also, the green onions are a must and are great added to the dipping sauce – that way you dip and get a few onions each time. Thanks, Nami. I also made the asian slaw, which was tasty too. Although, I think I’d make the Whole Foods Cabbage Crunch recipe next time – I am addicted to it. Thanks again, you are now “bookmarked”!

    78
    Reply to Dawn'> Reply

    • Hi Dawn! I’m happy that you already tried this recipe and liked it. I am surprised that you felt sauce was weak. I was sort of ready to get comment saying it’s too salty. 😉 I guess the flavor changes depending on how strong dashi is too. I’m glad you added soy sauce and it was okay. I’ve never tried WF cabbage crunch recipe. I’ll check it out! I hope you continue enjoying my recipes. :-)

      79
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  72. Hi Nami,

    I bought a bottle of soy sauce (Brand: Kikoman) which says on the label Sushi soy sauce. Can I use this soy sauce for cooking or is it a different soy sauce which cannot be used?

    83
    Reply to junelb'> Reply

    • Hi junelb! I think your Sushi soy sauce is what we call Sashimi Shoyu (soy sauce for Sashimi). Usually it’s a little bit darker and thicker. Some people use sashimi shoyu but some use regular soy sauce for everything – it depends on regions. You probably want to use regular soy sauce for cooking. Hope this helps. :-)

      84
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  73. Thank you so much for that dipping sauce recipe – it transported me back 2 years to Kyota where I had that same meal outside Kiyomizu-dera Temple sitting in the shade with a bottle of Asahi. I loved how something so simple could be so delicious, and my little boy who was 16 months old at the time absolutely gobbled it up with me.

    It’s a favourite memory of a wonderful holiday and now I can us back there anytime with this recipe.

    Many thanks!!

    85
    Reply to Dave'> Reply

    • Hi Dave! Thank you so much for your feedback. Kiyomizudera is one of my favorite places, and glad to hear you got to visit. :-) Zaru soba is so simple, but soba makers do a wonderful job that this simple noodle is not just noodle! With good dashi stock, the dipping sauce is amazing too. I had it the other day but I can eat again soon. Thank you again!

      86
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Priscilla, thank you so much for trying so many of my recipes! I’m more than proud and I’m really flattered that you trusted my recipes and tried them! Thank you for linking back to me and I’m sorry my WordPress is not giving any pingbacks from your site. :-( Thanks for writing, so that I could find out about your blog!

      88
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Nami さん! You are so awesome!! I love all your recipes and always browse through them to get ideas for dinners. =) I follow you on Pinterest too!!!!! Please keep coming up with yummy traditional Japanese recipes. 日本料理が大好きです!

        89
        Reply to Priscilla'> Reply

  75. I love soba noodles, I learned about them by my friend, American-Japanese girl. She thought me to make soba noddles just lie you write in the post and she showed me how to eat them… with shrimps and nori sheet. But I did not know you are supposed to eat them on a try or bamboo basket.
    Ciao.

    90
    Reply to Orchidea'> Reply

  76. What a great recipe to post just as the warmer season is getting into swing! As far as “sashi mizu” goes, I was always under the impression that adding the extra water also helps temper the cooking process and from flour-based noodles from becoming too mushy under the high heat. But what you explained definitely makes a lot of sense too!

    (Happy Golden Week! Although I don’t know if there is anything monumental happening in the States…)

    91
    Reply to Kimmi'> Reply

  83. I can now relate to using the soba noodles COLD – in Australia most noodle dishes are warm, however, having been in Japan in April this year, we attended a soba-making class, after which we indulged in the delicious (ooishi!!) meal. It was a lot of fun. Despite learning how to make the actual noodles, I think I’ll opt to just buy them in the dried version here (lazy me!)

    101
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

    • Interesting that warm soba noodles are served in Australia. I think zaru soba is more popular in the U.S. I think… I might be wrong… How nice to attend a soba making class. I almost tried it last summer. Maybe one day… I know it tastes delicious, but I agree, for daily use… dried soba is pretty good. 😀

      106
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  84. To look at the video, I am already refreshed :) Living in mountain – French High-Jura – it is never very hot, but I make these soba anyway. It is fresh, funny to eat and sometimes I add crudenesses (cherry tomatoes, grated carrots, shiitake marinated, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, etc…) and a little tofu fried. In short, a complete dish ! 😉 :)

    102
    Reply to Corinne'> Reply

  85. This looks simple and lovely…Thanks for sharing…Definitely worth making since I live in Desert area where it is 110 degrees daily now….In summer, we eat lots of salads and grill outside…

    I’m going to be shopping Asian foods in LA in a couple of weeks…should I pick up green and pink noodles if I can find them? what are they and how is taste???

    103
    Reply to Lyn'> Reply

    • Hi Lyn! 110!!! I always wonder how it’s like… The Bay Area never gets hot enough. It’s fun to try different flavors of soba, so sure! The taste is very subtle though. The pink one is ume (Japanese plum) and green is green tea powder included. :)

      108
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  86. What do you do with the water you put in the container? I read everything but didn’t read anything more about the water. I’m also wondering if it makes much difference the type of soba noodles I use?

    104
    Reply to Pamela Menapace'> Reply

    • Hi Pamela! I mentioned in the blog post (not in the recipe) “When you’re done with noodles, you can pour the reserved sobayu (そば湯) – soba cooking water – to the rest of your dipping sauce and enjoy as a soup.” And no, it does not matter what type of soba you use. :)

      109
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  92. My kids love cold zaru soba. When we were in Japan in the summer of 2014, they had it for lunch nearly everyday. Since being back home I have been buying the store bought dipping sauce. But I finally decided I should make it homemade, especially since the store bought sauce is expensive and contains corn syrup. I made this recipe a few hours ago, found all the ingredients at a local Korean market, and wow! My kids love it!!! They said it was a little sweeter than the store bought, but they liked it. I might use only 1/2 cup of mirin next time. Thank you!

    114
    Reply to sonia gomez'> Reply

    • Hi Sonia! Awesome! So happy to hear your kids enjoyed this mentsuyu recipe! Yes homemade is pretty easy and quick to make and so much better without additives! Thank you for your kind feedback!

      115
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

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