The New Year is approaching. How do you plan to spend the last days of this year? On New Year's Eve in Japan, there is a custom of eating soba buckwheat noodles called Toshikoshi Soba.
It was during the Edo period (1603-1867) that people began to eat soba on New Year's Eve. Originally, merchant families in the mid-Edo period had a custom of eating soba at the end of each month. The long, thin soba were a good-luck charm to wish for the longevity of your house and possessions.
In those days, soba was fast food that could be quickly eaten at a restaurant or food stall, perfect for busy month-end days.
Eventually, the custom of eating soba at the end of each month fell into disuse, but it remained only at the end of the year on New Year's Eve, and came to be called Toshikoshi Soba.
The meaning of Toshikoshi Soba is to cut off the bad luck and hardships of the year and not to carry them over to the next year, and it is considered to be acceptable to eat them any time during New Year's Eve.
There are no rules regarding the ingredients or how to eat Toshikoshi Soba. They can be served cold or warm, with tempura, or other ingredients.
Maido has all the necessary ingredients for Toshikoshi Soba (we do not sell shrimp). Let's say good bye to all the bad things from this past year and bring good luck to the New Year by eating Toshikoshi Soba!
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(Recipe) Toshikoshi Niku Meat Soba
This niku (meat) soba with sweet and savory meat and dashi broth is a perfect dish for everyone's taste buds. It is easy to make with seasonings you already have at home (if you usually cook Japanese food) and is so delicious that you will want to eat it even after New Year's Eve. You can replace the soba with udon noodles or the beef with pork, so be sure to give it a try.
Ingredients (2 Servings):
2 bunches (7 oz./200 g) of dried soba noodles
7 oz./200 g of sliced beef
1/2 (3.5 oz./100 g) onion
4 slices of kamaboko fish cake
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of cooking sake
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of mirin
* 20 fl.oz./600 ml of water
* 3 tbsp of mentsuyu noodle soup base (3 times concentrated)
* 2 tsp of Japanese granulated dashi soup stock
* 1/2 tsp of salt
Scallions as needed
Substitute Ingredients:
Soba: Frozen soba or dried/frozen udon may be used.
Thinly sliced beef: thinly sliced pork is also good.
Men-tsuyu noodle soup base: 4 1/2 tbsp for 2 times concentrated, 2 tbsp + tiny bit more for 4 times concentrated
Directions:
1. Boil soba noodles according to the time indicated on the package, and then run under cold water. Then, well drain. Cut onion into thin slices, breaking up the fibers. Cut scallions into small pieces. Slice kamaboko fishcake.
2. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat, then all beef and onion. When they are cooked, add sugar and saute well. When the sugar dissolves, add cooking sake, soy sauce, and mirin in that order. Simmer until a little of the liquid remains, then turn off the heat.
3. In a small saucepan, add water, mentsuyu soup base, granulated dashi soup stock, salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Place soba in a bowl, top what you made in step 2 (with the broth, if desired), kamaboko fishcake, and pour in what you made in step 3. Sprinkle with scallions if desired. Enjoy!
Tips:
The meat is seasoned sweet and savory. Reduce the amount of sugar to taste.
The sugar first makes the meat more tender and allows the flavors to soak in. It also adds a savory flavor and gives the dish a higher grade of finish.
Refrigerated storage (topping only): 2 to 3 days
Frozen storage (topping only): 1 month
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There is a lot of food items, housewares, stationery, and gifts available at the store and our online store, Maido! Kairashi Shop, where you can place your order for shipping or store pickup! Happy shopping. :)