Go Back
–+ servings
A bowl of soba noodle soup topped with sliced fish cake, seaweed, chopped green onions, and seasoning, with chopsticks and a blue napkin beside it on a wooden table.

Toshikoshi Soba (New Year's Eve Soba Noodle Soup)

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Cross over into the New Year with the Japanese tradition of eating a piping hot bowl of soba noodle soup called Toshikoshi Soba. This simple Japanese noodle dish will melt away the hardship of the past year and welcome the new journey ahead!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

For the Soba Broth (from scratch)

For the Quick Soba Broth (optional, using concentrated mentsuyu)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Before You Start

  • Gather all the ingredients. Optional: For the best dashi flavor, soak 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) in 3 cups water overnight to make cold brew kombu dashi. If you don’t have time, start soaking the kombu as soon as you can.
    Overhead view of ingredients for a recipe, including water, sauces, dried seaweed, bonito flakes, and measuring cups on a wooden surface. On the right, kombu is soaking in water in a glass measuring cup.
  • When you're ready to prepare this dish, start bringing a big pot of water to a boil for the soba noodles.

To Make the Soba Broth (from scratch)

  • Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and 3 cups water (or the cold-brew dashi with the kombu) to a medium saucepan. Slowly bring it to a boil over medium-low heat to extract the most flavor from the kombu. When it's close to boiling, remove the kombu.
    Nami's Tip: You can use the spent kombu to make furikake rice seasoning.
    Two-panel image: On the left, water is being poured over kombu (dried seaweed) in a pot. On the right, kombu is soaking in the water as someone stirs with chopsticks.
  • Add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and simmer for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom of the saucepan. Let it steep for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.
    A hand pours dried bonito flakes into a pot of simmering water, then the flakes are shown steeping in the hot liquid.
  • Strain the dashi through a sieve into a measuring cup (or bowl), then put the dashi back into the saucepan.
    Nami's Tip: Discard the spent katsuobushi or use it to make furikake rice seasoning.
    Two images: On the left, brown broth is poured through a fine strainer into a measuring cup. On the right, clear yellow broth is poured from a measuring cup into a pot.
  • Add 1 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Bring it to a simmer. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
    Two side-by-side images: on the left, hands hold two small bowls of light and dark liquids above a saucepan; on the right, the saucepan is filled with a combined amber-colored liquid.

To Prepare the Toppings

  • Rehydrate 2 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed in 1 cup water. Then, squeeze the water out and set aside. Thinly slice 1 green onion/scallion.
    Three-step cooking process: soaking dried seaweed in water, squeezing soaked seaweed with a hand over a strainer, and finely chopping green onions with a knife on a cutting board.
  • Slide a knife under the kamaboko to detach it from the wooden board. Thinly cut 4 slices kamaboko (fish cake).
    Close-up of hands slicing a pink and white cylindrical food item on a wooden cutting board with a large knife.

To Cook the Soba Noodles

  • In the pot of boiling water, cook 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) according to the package instructions. You do not need to salt the water.
    Side-by-side images: Left, dry noodles are placed in a pot of boiling water; right, noodles are being stirred in the boiling water with chopsticks.
  • Drain the soba noodles through a sieve and rinse them with your hands under cold water to get rid of the starch. Shake off the excess water and transfer to individual bowls.
    Left: Cooked soba noodles draining in a white colander. Right: A hand mixing or separating soba noodles in a bowl on a wooden surface.

To Serve

  • Pour the hot soup broth over the noodles. Top with kamaboko, wakame seaweed, and green onions. Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), if you‘d like. Serve immediately and enjoy.
    A split image: on the left, broth is being poured over soba noodles in a bowl; on the right, the finished soba noodle soup is topped with green onions, seaweed, and a pink slice of fish cake.

To Make the Quick Soba Broth (with concentrated mentsuyu; optional)

  • Follow your mentsuyu bottle instructions to make the broth.
    Mentsuyu / Tsuyu (Japanese Noodle Soup Base) | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
  • In a medium saucepan, combine 2⅓ cups water, ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), and 1 Tbsp mirin. Mix well. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. The soba broth is ready to use.
    Udon Noodle Soup with Mochi 1

Notes

Variations and Customizations:
We usually enjoy this noodle soup as a light meal or snack on its own. Try these add-ons if you want a more substantial meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcal, Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 761mg, Potassium: 308mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 212IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 55mg, Iron: 3mg
QR Code linking back to recipe