Soba Sushi (そば寿司) is rolled Sushi made with cooked Soba inside instead of Sushi rice. The soba is seasoned with rice vinegar just like Sushi rice. This interesting and refreshing taste of a Soba dish may not be an everyday dinner, but it is a wonderful appetizer for special gatherings.
Soba Sushi’s origin is very much unknown. There are not any records in the historical food glossary, so it’s most likely invented in the last 100 years. Perhaps there was a rice shortage one year or a bored yet creative soba cook. Like many informal dishes, it’s hard to say. There are not too many Soba restaurants that serve Soba Sushi either, especially outside Japan, so it’s not as widespread as other types of sushi. In any case, it’s a pleasant surprise to find when you can!
How to make Soba Sushi at home is quite simple. You use cooked Soba for rolls, instead of Sushi Rice. Fillings in the middle vary depending on shops, and your preferences when making at home. Soba and Sushi vinegar seem a mismatch at first, but they are a surprisingly great duo.
If you have made rolled Sushi before, this not hard to make. Only tip is to remove the moisture from Soba before rolling because it will easily unravel if it’s not rolled tightly enough. You can dip Soba Sushi with Soy Sauce wasabi like Sushi, or Mentsuyu noodle sauce like Soba.
The cross section is actually very pretty, and it could be a fancy little appetizer for parties. Practice a couple of times, and you will get the hang of it easily. Treat your friends and family to this Soba Sushi, and we’re sure they will love it!
Soba Sushi Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 bunches dried Soba
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 sheets Nori roasted seaweed
Filling
- Tamagoyaki
- cucumber
- crab sticks
- Soy Sauce
- Wasabi
Instructions
- Cook Soba according to the package. Meanwhile, mix rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl together. Drain Soba, rinse with running water, and strain water very well. Add Soba into the vinegar mixture and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then move Soba onto a plate lined with a paper towel, and let dry a little.
- Cut Tamagoyaki and cucumber into thin and long strips, about 8″ long and 1/2″ thick (8cm x 1cm). It’s OK not to have 8″ long pieces, just add pieces together to make the total length be 8”.
- Put a sushi mat flat on your work surface with the bamboo slats left to right, so you can roll the mat away from you. Place a piece of seaweed on the sushi mat with one of the seaweed’s sides close to the front edge of the sushi mat (the edge near you). Spread about 1/3 of Soba on the seaweed, parallel to the bamboo slats and leaving a 1″ (2.5cm) space at the front and far edges of the seaweed. Place Tamagoyaki, a cucumber strip, and a crab stick next to each other in the middle of the Soba. Holding the filling down, roll from the front end of the mat with the sushi mat toward the other end. Tighten the roll like a roll cake, pulling the mat to tighten. Remove the roll from the mat.
- Cut the roll into 1 1/2″ (3-4 cm) thick rounds. Serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi if you like.
Video
Nicolas Ggers
June 29, 2022 at 10:01 amSimple yet amaazing.