Ankake Soba is Soba noodle soup that is thickened with starch. The thick soup not only keeps the dish hot much longer than regular noodle soup, but also coats the noodles with tasty soup in every bite. The soup includes a variety of mushrooms, which add a lot of Umami flavor. Hot and savory soup makes it a perfect hot noodle dish in the cold season.
The mushrooms for Ankake Soba can be anything you like. We chose Shiitake, Shimeji, and Maitake mushrooms. Shiitake and Shimeji are becoming very popular in American cuisine, and they may be found at local stores. Shiitake has a distinctive aroma and is often used in soups. Shimeji is a cluster of small mushrooms and has a milder flavor, and it is easy to throw in dishes like stir-fry and stews. Maitake also grow in a cluster, and have flat caps. It has a stronger savory flavor and texture. Enoki mushroom would also work beautifully, but even button mushrooms would do well.
The combination of several mushrooms gives the soup a burst of flavor by itself, but supplementing with animal-based broth will enhance the taste even further, giving more complexity. You can use our original Dashi recipe, but you might make it a little stronger by adding more Katsuobushi bonito flakes.
Just like any other noodle recipes, it is important to finish cooking the soup and noodles at the same time to be able to serve the dish very hot. It is a good idea to heat water for cooking Soba while making the soup. Once the cooking is done, serve quickly. And then slurp the hot noodles away!
Mushroom Ankake Soba Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 Shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 packet Shimeji mushrooms
- 1/2 packet Maitake mushrooms
- 1/2 Naganegi white long onion
- 3 cups Dashi
- 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Sake
- 3 Tbsp Mirin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp Katakuriko potato starch
- 2 bunches dried Soba
- Shichimi Togarashi hot chili pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Slice Shiitake thinly. Break apart Shimeji and Maitake into small bunches of mushrooms.
- Cut long onion into 2″ long pieces. Slice vertically into the center, but not cut through. Take out the middle part of the onion, flatten the outer layers, and slice very thinly. Put the sliced onion in the water for 10 minutes, then strain. (The middle part of the onion can be used for some other dish)
- Heat Dashi at medium heat, add Soy Sauce, Sake, Mirin and salt, and heat to just before a boil. Add all the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they become soft. Combine water and potato starch together in a small bowl, and mix well. Add the slurry to the soup slowly while stirring constantly. Keep it warm at low heat.
- Cook dried Soba according to the package. Put one serving of Soba in a bowl and pour the soup over. Top with sliced onion. Sprinkle Shichimi pepper if you like.
Video
2 Comments
Yum! Thinking about making this tonight!
If I used dried mushrooms, would I reconstitute them in the broth and just cook the broth longer, before adding the other ingredients?
This soup was easy and delicious! Thank you.