Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Zaru Soba - Food Review

One of my favorite foods from Japan even before I got here was Zaru Soba. Here's a quick breakdown of what it is.

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As far as the name goes, Zaru is the name for the wooden mat that it's is served on and Soba is the name of the noodle which is made out of buckwheat. When I make it at home, I usually just put the noodles in a bowl since theres no reason to really get all fancy with it. The noodles are about the size of spagetti and are pretty much inedible by themselves. As such, you dip them into Tsu Yu which looks like soy sauce but it tastes much sweeter. The first time I made this in Nashville I was instantly hooked.

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In stores the prices are usually about $1-$3 for a pack of three to four sets of Soba and around $4 for a bottle of Tsu Yu. The bottles of Tsu Yu typically last for a long time. For a full meal I usually make 2 sets of Soba. However, the first time I bought it a couple Japanese people told me that it's usual to only eat one set as a meal though.

Another thing that makes this such a great dish is that it's so easy to make. All you do is boil the noodles for about five minutes and then strain them over cold water until their nice and cold. That's pretty much it. I've had Zaru Soba a couple times in restraunts but still perfer the taste of the store bought Tsu Yu.

Final Decision: 5 out of 5



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