Pickled Plum
Soba vs Udon: What You Need to Know

Japanese noodle showdown: soba vs udon. There’s a lot to love when it comes to noodles in Japan. At first glance, it may seem like soba and udon are interchangeable. While both are delicious, there are a few key differences. Let’s break down ingredients, textures and the best recipes for each.

What is Soba

Soba noodles are long, thin Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour and water (more in this in a sec). They have a subtle nutty taste and and can vary in texture from chewy and springy – to dense and mildly grainy. This variation in texture from brand to brand depends on the amount of buckwheat used in production. General rule: more wheat flour, the smoother and springy the texture – more buckwheat, more dense.

Japanese buckwheat Noodles are frequently served in soups (both hot and cold) and in salads. Soba can also vary in color from light grey to brown.

What is Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour is made from ground buckwheat seeds. But buckwheat is not actually from the wheat family at all. Instead it comes from the same family of plants as rhubarb. It is a pseudo-grain. Other pseudo-grains include quinoa and amaranth.

Buckwheat flour is gluten free and has a mild nutty flavor with grassy notes. The flour is mixed with water (and sometimes a portion of wheat flour) to form a dough which is rolled and sliced to make soba noodles.

Cooking Soba Noodles

A simple rule of thumb is to follow the cooking instructions on the package, since there will be variation in boiling times from brand to brand. Dry noodles are usually done in around 3-5 minutes.

Drain and rinse soba under cold water if it’s being used in a cold recipe like zaru soba.

Noodles going into hot soup will continue cooking in the broth, so drain them when al dente and use immediately.

Udon Noodle Ingredients

The ingredients list for udon is fairly simple: all-purpose wheat flour, water and salt. It’s kneaded into a dough, and cut into strips. Home chefs making udon from scratch will use cornstarch or potato starch to keep the noodles from sticking together after they’ve been cut.

Udon Recipes

Udon noodles are often served in soup, but are commonly stir-fried as well. Here are some popular udon dishes.

• Basic Udon Soup: The warm dashi stock based broth is complimented by soy sauce, mirin and kombu – and the noodle soup is topped with nori and shiitake mushrooms. A stripped down version of this dish (typically with just the hot broth and shaved green onions) is called kake udon in Japanese.
• Kitsune Udon: The direct translation of kitsune udon is ‘fox udon.’ And that’s likely a nod to the color of the deep fried tofu pouches (called aburaage / or inari age) served in the soup. Common toppings include fish cakes and chopped scallions. Incidentally, kitsune udon is my favorite!
• Curry Udon: The dashi based broth is fortified with savory Japanese curry. It’s hearty comfort food that originated during the Meiji period in Tokyo.
• Yaki Udon: These chewy udon noodles are stir fried in a simple umami mixture of butter, dashi and soy sauce – then topped with nori and bonito flakes (katsuobushi). Check out this video to see how simple it is to make yaki udon at home (5 minutes or less!) along with four other easy essential Japanese recipes.
• Kimchi Udon Stir Fry: This is one of the noodle dishes that really shows off udon’s versatility. Because udon’s secret weapon is that it absorbs whatever flavor you throw at it (bacon and kimchi in this case). Top with a fried egg for the full experience.

So where do you fall on the soba vs udon spectrum? Do you have a favorite? Tell me about your favorite soba and udon recipes in the comments section!