Zaru-soba (Japanese Cold Soba Noodles)

While heating the water to boil the noodles, slice green onions and cut nori (if you’re using it) into thin strips. Kitchen shears work well for this.

Put soba in the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions (typically 3–4 minutes). While the soba cooks, dilute the tsuyu according to the bottle’s instructions and divide between small bowls for each serving. I usually add the wasabi at this point, so it dilutes into the broth. Make sure to whip the broth with chopsticks so you don’t get big chunks of wasabi at the bottom of the bowl.

When noodles are done, pour them into a colander or sieve and rinse well with very cold water. Drain for several minutes. You want to get as much water off them as possible.

When drained, you can portion them into small bunches, like in the photo, or just put them in a bowl for each person. If they’re in bunches, you can cover and refrigerate them for later. If they’re in a bowl, it’s best to serve them soon after cooking so they don’t stick together.

For serving, add green onions to the cold broth and whip it up again, so the wasabi is fully incorporated into the broth. Sprinkle the nori on the noodles. Each bite gets dipped into the broth.