Beef Soup with Soba

Soba, or buckwheat, is a type of thin Japanese noodle.  Udon, on the other hand, are thick wheat noodles. Truth be told, I haven't the vaguest idea what buckwheat was until I started playing the game Harvest Moon. Actually, I learned a lot by playing that game, and now even my husband is hooked to it (and yes, son too!). 

But this post isn't about the game (although I would gladly tell you more if you're interested!).  Its about this delicious dish that I got from Women's Health Magazine. And around the time I was making this dish, I saw a rerun of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" where he featured a person making noodles the "traditional way." According to the show, he is the last person to do so, as it is a dying art. I can't blame them... it is painful to even watch. It consist of kneading the dough by mounting on a bamboo pole and... uhmm... well, just watch this to find out (wait for the 1:58 mark). But remember, I warned you!

Back to the recipe (I have been sidetracked so many times!). It calls for shaved beef, so I used my trusted mandoline slicer to slice the beef ever so thinly. BIG MISTAKE. My arms hurt like I just played tennis with Rafael Nadal! Next time, I would stick to having our local butcher shave the beef for me. The dish itself was very easy to make, it was the prepping that took some time.

Shaved beef

What you need: 

4 cups of beef broth
3 cups of water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 oz shaved beef
1 teaspoon sesame oil
6 oz dried soba noodles
1/2 cup green onion, slivered
1/2 cup carrots, shredded or shaved
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 lime wedges


What to do: 

Boil about 8 cups of water in a big pot. Add the noodles and cook per package instructions.

In a separate pot, combine water, broth, and soy sauce over medium heat. Add the beef, then  let simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, divide noodles into bowls. Ladle beef broth into individual bowls and top with beef slices. Garnish with carrots, cilantro, lime, and green onions.

My bowl. Hubby got the fancy red one. ;-)

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. If you are gonna shave the beef, do not thaw it completely - it would be easier if the meat is still a bit frozen as you can handle it better.
2. To make shaved carrots, just wash them thoroughly, then run a peeler on the skin. 
3. You can use other noodles for it - udon, somen, whatever you have!
4. No lime? Use calamansi!
5. DO NOT try to make noodles like the guy in the video. Or if you do, let us know how it turned out! ;-)