Toshikoshi Soba (Japanese New Year’s Eve Noodle Soup)
Do you want to experience the heart of Japanese tradition with this Toshikoshi Soba Recipe? These simple buckwheat soba noodles are enjoyed on New Year’s Eve for a meaningful culinary celebration.
Looking for Japanese noodles dishes Try my Kake Soba, Kake Udon, and Kitsune Udon!
The new year is a big family event in Japan, and we have a long-standing tradition of eating a bowl of hot soba noodles at the end of the year, which is called Toshikoshi soba. The long and thin buckwheat noodles represent a healthy, long life in Japanese culture. People believe eating these noodles on New Year’s Eve helps leave behind any bad luck from the previous year and brings good fortune and health to the family in the coming year.
I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Toshikoshi Soba:
How To Make Toshikoshi Soba: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.
Step 1
Prepare toppings.
Step 2
Add soup ingredients to a large pot and boil over medium heat.
Step 3
Boil soba noodles according to the package instructions.
Step 4
Drain the noodles and quickly rinse under cold water to remove the extra starch.
Serve the noodles in a bowl, pour the soup, and place the toppings. Enjoy your Toshikoshi Soba while it’s still warm. If you like a spicy kick, top it with a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend.
Topping Variations
This is the fun part! Various ingredients go well with Toshikoshi soba. I have listed the classic and popular toppings that are easy to prepare.
- Vegetables: Green onions, scallions, spring onions, spinach
- Seaweed: Wakame Seaweed, tororo kombu (flakes of kombu seaweed)
- Egg: Onsen tamago, raw egg, boiled egg
- Other: Agedama (tenkasu, pieces of tempura batter), kamaboko fish cakes, aburaage (thin deep-fried tofu)
Get Your Free Vegetarian eBook!
Looking for healthy dinner ideas? I’ve got a free ebook with 10 delicious, easy Japanese vegetarian recipes! Sign up for our newsletter below to get it now!
Grab a copy of our free
Vegetarian Recipe eBook
More Noodle Recipes You Will Love
Leave a Rating!
I hope you enjoy this Toshikoshi Soba! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!
Toshikoshi Soba (Japanese New Year’s Eve Noodle Soup)
Print Pin SaveEquipment
- 1 Medium saucepan 18 cm/7 inches
- 1 Strainer
Ingredients
Noodle Soup
- 3¼ cup Water, 780ml
- 1 tsp Dashi Powder
- 2 Tbsp Mirin
- 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Prepare the toppings: Place the dried wakame in a small bowl and let it soak for about 5 minutes. Drain the wakame completely. Finely chop the scallion and slice the kamaboko fish cake.
- Make onsen tamago: Bring water just before boiling (around 185°F or 85°C), then turn off the heat. Gently place the eggs in the hot water, cover with a lid, and let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Make the Noodle Soup: In a large pot, add water, dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, and salt and boil over medium heat.
- Boil the soba noodles: While preparing the soup, add the soba noodles to a separate pot of boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Stir the noodles with chopsticks to separate them while cooking.
- Drain the noodles: Drain using a strainer and quickly rinse under cold water to remove the extra starch.
- Serve: Serve the drained noodles in a bowl, pour the soup, and place the toppings on top.
Notes
- If your noodle soup is too salty, you can balance it by diluting it with water. Conversely, if it’s too mild, add more mentsuyu to enhance the flavor.
- Soba noodles typically take a couple of minutes to cook frozen noodles and around 10 minutes or more for dried or fresh noodles. The cooking time can vary depending on the type and brand of soba noodles, so please follow the package directions.
