Japanese · Japan

Soba Toshikoshi (New Year's Eve — Japanese Tradition)

Toshikoshi soba — 'year-crossing noodles' — are eaten throughout Japan on December 31 as the New Year approaches, ideally while hearing the temple bells ring in the new year (joya no kane). The long noodle is the symbolic element: its length represents long life and the cutting of the old year's hardships. Soba's ease of cutting (compared to udon or ramen noodles) makes it the correct choice — the ease of cutting symbolises the clean break from the old year. The preparation is among the simplest in Japanese cooking: a hot tsuyu (dashi, mirin, and soy sauce) broth poured over freshly cooked soba noodles, garnished with a sheet of nori, a slice of kamaboko (fish cake), and spring onion. The simplicity is the point — after a year's worth of elaborate preparation and celebration eating, the final meal of the year is intentionally unadorned, a clean slate.

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Serves2

Total15 min

Sourced1of 8 in BC

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

water or dashi (kombu and bonito stock)

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

10g

sea salt

Your own market

200g

dried soba noodles (buckwheat

preferably 100% sobakо)

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

30g

nori seaweed sheet

cut into thin strips

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

green onions

sliced thinly on the bias

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

sesame seeds

toasted

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

10ml

mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

5ml

soy sauce

Purely Artisan Foods · San Diego →

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The Method

Bring water or dashi to a rolling boil in a large pot; add sea salt.

Add soba noodles, stir gently to separate, return to a boil; cook uncovered 3–4 minutes until al dente (test for doneness by tasting).

From the canon — Buckwheat soba — 100% buckwheat noodles, as opposed to the more common 80:20 buckwheat-wheat blend — is the only form of soba that is naturally gluten-free. Soba Noodles (100% Buckwheat — Naturally Gluten-Free) →

Drain noodles in a colander, rinse under cold running water with gentle agitation for 10 seconds; drain thoroughly.

Divide hot broth between two bowls, add mirin and soy sauce, stir to combine.

Place noodles into each bowl, arrange nori strips, green onion slices, and sesame seeds on top.

Serve immediately at table; according to tradition, consume noodles in one long slurp for good luck in the coming year.

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Noodles clump and turn gummy the moment they hit a cold bowl or sit after cooking — you feel the texture collapse under your chopsticks.

◇Where it lives or dies. Noodles clump and turn gummy the moment they hit a cold bowl or sit after cooking — you feel the texture collapse under your chopsticks.