Japanese
Zaru Soba (Cold Soba with Dipping Sauce)
Chilled buckwheat noodles served with a savoury soy-mirin dipping sauce — a refreshing 15-minute lunch for warm days.
About this recipe
Zaru Soba (Cold Soba with Dipping Sauce) is a japanese lunch for 2 that is a gentle, mostly hands-off simmer., and it takes around 15 min start to finish. We sized it for a small household and ranked it on OneToCook by how much of it you already have in the fridge.
Good to know
* Dietary flags are derived from the listed ingredients — always check labels and your own needs for allergens.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 150ml water
- 1 stalk spring onion
- 2 portions soba noodles buy
- 2 tbsp mirin buy
- 1 sheet seaweed (nori) buy
- 1 tsp sesame seeds buy
Equipment
Method
- 1
Boil the soba per packet, then rinse under cold water until cool and drain well.
~6 min
- 2
Warm soy, mirin and water to a simmerSimmer.Cook in liquid with gentle bubbling, just below a boil.Glossary → for the dipping sauce, then cool slightly.
~3 min
- 3
Pile the noodles on a plate, snip nori over, and serve with the sauce, spring onion and sesame to dip.
~3 min
Smart swaps
Out of something? Try one of these.
- Noodles
- whatever you have — rice, instant noodles, or even pasta in a pinch.
- Soy sauce
- tamari (gluten-free) or, in a pinch, a mix of Worcestershire sauce and water.
- Mirin
- a little sugar dissolved in rice vinegar, or dry sherry + a pinch of sugar.
- Spring onion
- thinly sliced onion or chives for the finish.
Cook's notes
- Dice the onion before anything heats up so it’s ready when the pan is — a even dice cooks evenly. How to dice an onion →
- Keep the white and green parts separate — whites go in early with the aromatics, greens at the end. How to chop spring onions →
- Do your chopping first (mise en place). With everything prepped, the actual cooking here is only about 12 min.
Storage & leftovers
This keeps well — store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavour often deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it’s thickened.
Frequently asked
How long does Zaru Soba (Cold Soba with Dipping Sauce) take to make? +
Around 15 min from start to finish, almost all of it hands-on.
How many people does this recipe serve? +
As written it serves 2. To cook for 4, roughly multiply the ingredients — but cook in batches if the pan gets crowded, so things sear instead of steaming.
What equipment do I need? +
You’ll want: induction hob, pot. OneToCook only suggests recipes that fit the equipment you tell it you have, so you can filter these out if your kitchen is more minimal.
What can I use if I'm missing an ingredient? +
Common swaps for this dish: Noodles → whatever you have — rice, instant noodles, or even pasta in a pinch; Soy sauce → tamari (gluten-free) or, in a pinch, a mix of Worcestershire sauce and water; Mirin → a little sugar dissolved in rice vinegar, or dry sherry + a pinch of sugar. See the full list of smart swaps above.
Can I make Zaru Soba (Cold Soba with Dipping Sauce) ahead of time? +
This keeps well — store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavour often deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it’s thickened.
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