Prepare the toppings: Place the dried wakame in a small bowl, soak in water for about 5 minutes, and drain it completely. Finely chop the scallion. Grill aburaage until slightly browned and cut it into small pieces. Boil spinach for one minute and cut it into small pieces.
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.