Toshikoshi Soba (New Year Soba)

Toshikoshi soba is a traditional Japanese dish of soba noodles served in a warm broth with various toppings, served on New Year’s Eve. My version of toshikoshi soba is easy and comforting, using ingredients that are easy to find. If you’re new to Japanese cooking, don’t worry — I’ll walk you through everything step by step!

What is Toshikoshi Soba?

Toshikoshi soba is a traditional Japanese noodle dish eaten on New Year’s Eve to mark the transition from one year to the next. The long buckwheat noodles symbolize longevity, resilience, and letting go of difficult times, making this simple bowl of noodles very meaningful in Japanese cuisine.

On the last day of the year, Japanese people focus on completing tasks such as cleaning their house, paying back debts, and bathing (cleansing the body), in order to start the new year fresh. These tasks are usually done early during the day so that people can gather and relax in the evening. A bowl of toshikoshi soba is served about an hour before ringing in the new year.

Toshikoshi Soba Ingredients

• Soba Noodles: There are many different types of soba noodles and the ratio of buckwheat to flour can vary greatly. If you like chewy noodles, I recommend looking for soba noodles that are a mix of 50/50 buckwheat flour and whole wheat flour. I personally love my noodles to be on the grainier side so I usually go for soba noodles that are as close to 100% buckwheat flour as I can find.
• Soup: A mixture of water, soy sauce, dashi, sake, and mirin.
• Eggs: Use medium or large eggs. I like to medium boil my eggs so that the yolk is creamy and the white is almost entirely solid. But please go ahead and cook your eggs however you like.
• Scallions: Chopped scallions add a nice crunch and a little sweetness.
• Wakame: Seaweed is a classic topping for noodle soups in Japan. It adds a mineral component and a little taste from the sea.
• Naruto fish cakes: Called narutomaki in Japanese, these fish cakes are white with a pink swirl in the center. If you cannot find naruto fish cakes you can use any other type of kamaboko, which is a type of surimi, a processed seafood like crab sticks.

Interested to know more about Japanese food? Find out what the difference is between soba noodles and udon noodles in this post.

How to Make Toshikoshi Soba

1. Prep the ingredients. Measure the ingredients and slice the scallions and fishcakes.
2. Boil the eggs. Boil the eggs until they are medium boiled – about 6 minutes – and drain. Shock the eggs in an ice bath to prevent them from overcooking.
3. Make the broth. Put all the ingredients for the broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Boil the soba noodles. Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to boil. Add the soba noodles and follow the cooking instructions on the package. Drain the noodles and divide them among two bowls.
5. Assemble the dish. Add the broth to the noodles and top with eggs, fish cakes, scallions, and wakame. Serve immediately.

Want more Asian noodle recipes? Read this post sharing 30 easy Asian noodle recipes.

What to Serve with Toshikoshi Soba

Pairing a bowl of toshikoshi soba with other dishes is quite easy! I recommend serving a mix of pickles, salads, and vegetables to accompany this delicious soup. Some of my favorites are: Edamame with soy and sesame sauce, blistered shishito peppers, hijiki salad, sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad), agedashi tofu, tsukemono (pickled vegetables).

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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