Tempura Soba

Tempura Soba

A classic Japanese noodle bowl featuring buckwheat soba in a light dashi-based broth, served alongside crisp shrimp and vegetable tempura. The contrast of hot, savory broth and freshly fried, crunchy tempura is what makes this dish so beloved.

Prep

25 min

Cook

25 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) dried soba noodles, 100% buckwheat if possible
• •1200 ml (5 cups) dashi, kombu and bonito, or high-quality instant dashi
• •60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce (shoyu), Japanese-style
• •60 ml (¼ cup) mirin
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) sake
• •2 g (½ tsp) salt
• •8 whole shrimp, shell-on, deveined, tails intact
• •1 small sweet potato, sliced into 5 mm rounds
• •4 whole shiso leaves
• •100 g (3½ oz) cake flour, for dredging
• •120 g (¾ cup) cake flour (tempura batter), low-gluten, do not overmix
• •1 large egg yolk
• •180 ml (¾ cup) ice-cold water, must be ice-cold for crisp batter
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, for frying; canola, rice bran, or sunflower
• •10 g (¼ cup) scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
• •5 g (1 tsp) grated daikon, optional garnish
• •5 g (1 tsp) shichimi togarashi, optional, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Make the tsuyu (broth): combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and salt in a saucepan. Heat gently just to dissolve the salt and alcohol - do not boil. Keep warm over low heat.
2. 2 Prep the tempura vegetables: peel and slice the sweet potato into 5 mm rounds, soak in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat very dry. Rinse shiso leaves and pat dry.
3. 3 Prep the shrimp: peel shells but keep tails on, devein, and make 3–4 small slits on the underside so they straighten when fried. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
4. 4 Set up a tray with the 100 g cake flour for dredging. Lightly dust each shrimp and vegetable piece.
5. 5 Make the batter JUST before frying: whisk the egg yolk with the ice-cold water, then sift in the 120 g cake flour. Stir with chopsticks for only 10–15 seconds - lumps are correct; overmixing develops gluten and kills crispness. Keep the bowl over a larger bowl of ice so it stays ice-cold.
6. 6 Heat oil in a heavy pot to 175 °C (350 °F). Use a thermometer; proper temperature is essential.
7. 7 Dip each floured item into the batter, let excess drip briefly, and lower into the oil tail-first (for shrimp) or gently (for vegetables). Fry in small batches - do not crowd. Fry shrimp about 2 minutes, sweet potato about 2–3 minutes, until pale golden and crisp. They should sizzle gently; if oil drops below 170 °C, wait for it to recover between batches.
8. 8 Drain tempura on a wire rack (not paper towels, which can soften the crust). Cooked shrimp should reach an internal temperature of 62 °C (145 °F) and curl into a loose C-shape with a crisp shell.
9. 9 Cook the soba: bring a large pot of water to a boil, add soba, and cook 4–5 minutes until just tender (check package timing). Drain and rinse under cold running water, rubbing gently to remove surface starch, until water runs clear.
10. 10 Divide soba among 4 bowls. Pour 300 ml of hot tsuyu over each portion. Arrange 2 shrimp and assorted vegetable tempura on a bamboo mat or paper (traditionally placed on top of/alongside the bowl so they stay crisp until eaten).
11. 11 Garnish with sliced scallions and optional grated daikon. Serve immediately with shichimi togarashi on the side.