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The types of food eaten in Japan are Sushi, Ramen and Tofu.

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On O-Shogatsu (New Years eve) people in Japan eat Toshikoshi Soba. It is a traditional Japanese noodle bowl dish.

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Sushi is eaten with chopsticks.

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Sushi is made with rice, fish and seaweed sheets. It is made by wrapping rice and fish in seaweed.

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a recipe that could be made for the special celebration or festival.

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Cross over into the New Year with a piping hot bowl of soba noodle soup - a tradition called Toshikoshi Soba. It's a simple Japanese noodle dish to melt away the hardship of the past year and welcome the journey ahead.

On New Year's Eve, or Ōmisoka ( 大晦日 ), it is a custom for Japanese to reflect on the past year and usher in the coming year, all while enjoying a bowl of hot soba noodles, called 年越し蕎麦 Toshikoshi Soba ( ), or year-crossing noodle. What better way to cross over a symbolic bridge than slurping up soba noodles!

What is Toshikoshi Soba (New Year's Eve Noodles)?

The New Year in Japan is about beginning with a fresh, clean slate. That's the essence of Toshikoshi Soba - starting out simple with a hot soba noodle dish that is healthy and easy to make, and just happens to be a bowl full of symbolism. More on that later.

The soba noodle dish served on New Year's Eve is usually in its simplest form - buckwheat soba noodles served in a hot dashi broth with finely chopped scallions. But the basic tradition of Toshikoshi Soba can be taken to the next level by adding in tempura, fish cakes, or raw egg. I believe the New Year should also start out deliciously!

The Toshikoshi Soba recipe I am sharing today is featured on the popular Japanese TV drama called "Shinya Shokudo ( 深夜食堂 )" or " Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories " on Netflix.
Midnight Diner features dishes that are more representative of Japanese home cooked recipes that you might not have seen in your local Japanese restaurants. "New Year's Eve Noodles" episode is Season 1, Episode 10 on Netflix.
History & Culture of Eating Soba Noodles on New Year's Eve

The custom and its name differs by region in Japan, but the tradition of eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve started as early as the 13th or 14th century. However, not until the more recent Edo Period - when the common class developed customary religious and superstitious rituals - did Toshikoshi Soba become more established as an annual tradition on New Year's Eve for most Japanese people.

With the hope of good fortune in each bowl, it's easy to imagine the custom being adopted quickly from family to family, slurping in the symbolism of soba noodles:

* To enjoy a fulfilling, peaceful life with every slurp of the long soba noodles.

* To break free from the past like the soba noodle so easily breaks with each bite.

* To gather strength and resilience like the tough buckwheat crop.

* To grow your fortune just as buckwheat flour was once used by goldsmiths to gather up leftover gold dust.

Superstitious or not, enjoying toshikoshi soba has become one of the most enduring traditions observed by the Japanese people in the New Year.

Make Good Dashi for Toshikoshi Soba (New Year's Eve Noodles)

For a simple noodle soup dish, a good tasty broth is elemental. After all, you want to taste the broth that's so good that you want to drink up all the soup.

This dashi based soup broth is light, yet savory and umami rich from all the essence from kombu and katsuobushi. Unlike chicken or vegetable stock, Japanese soup broth is fast and simple to make. I wouldn't recommend taking any short cuts like using dashi powder, unless you have absolutely no choice. The difference it makes is tremendous.

Vegan/Vegetarian Soba Noodle Soup

To make a vegan or vegetarian friendly toshikoshi soba, it is as simple as switching out some ingredients just as below:

1. Skip katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and make Kombu Dashi with just kombu.

2. Skip kamaboko (fish cake) and add tofu or any other vegetarian/vegan friendly toppings.

After all the hearty holiday feasts and sweets, Toshikoshi Soba is a welcoming and comforting dish this time of the year. In the company of family and friends, all warming up over steamy bowls of nutritious soba noodle soup, is a tradition I hope you can adopt to ring in the New Year.

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Gather all the ingredients. [Optional] Soak the kombu in water for overnight. If you don't have time, start soaking the kombu as soon as you can. Bring a big pot of water to a boil for soba noodles.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Toshikoshi Soba (New Year's Eve Noodles) 年越し蕎麦 * Just One Cookbook

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Cross over into the New Year with a piping hot bowl of soba noodle soup - a tradition called Toshikoshi Soba. It's a simple Japanese noodle dish to melt away the hardship of the past year and welcome the journey ahead.

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How to use chopsticks!🥢 save this tutorial, learn and show off to your friends and family😎