Before traveling to Okinawa, my Okinawan friends here in the US would always tell me how much they missed Okinawa Soba (沖縄そば). They made it sound so delicious that I was starting to miss a dish I had never tried! Okinawa Soba was on the top of my must-try list when I arrived in Okinawa last December, and it of course did not disappoint. I can still remember the taste of the delicious broth, and knew I had to make my own version when I returned home. So I’m featuring my recipe for Okinawa Soba today with you.
What is Okinawa Soba?
Despite the word “soba” in its name, Okinawa Soba does not include any soba (buckwheat noodles). As I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog, soba (そば) means “noodles” in Japanese. A good example would be the Japanese stir-fried noodles Yakisoba, which also doesn’t use buckwheat noodles. So what then is Okinawa Soba? Okinawa Soba is a hot noodle soup consisting of a specific type of chewy noodles made with flour, water, and egg (see more below). The soup is a combination of pork broth and katsuo dashi, filled with stewed pork belly slices, a few slices of fish cake, chopped green onion, and red pickled ginger. It’s actually quite simple in taste and appearance, as well as cooking process (bonus!). Let me get into the details for each component in this noodle soup:
Soup Broth:
The soup broth is made of both pork broth and katsuo dashi. The flavor is complex, yet the broth is very clear and surprisingly light. It’s unique to Japanese noodle soups, not unlike Okinawa’s uniqueness in Japan. This broth is definitely somewhere between ramen broth and Japanese dashi broth for noodles. It has a really wonderful meat/fish broth balance.
Noodles:
My first thought was that this Okinawan soba noodle is very similar to dried udon noodles that are cooked (instead of frozen or refrigerated udon type). However, the ingredients for Okinawa soba noodles list flour, water, and egg (udon noodles do not have egg). I imagined it would not be easy to find Okinawa Soba Noodles in the US, but guess what I stumbled upon in both Asian and Japanese grocery stores (Myojo is a big noodle brand)!
If you cannot get this noodle, you can use dried udon noodles that have a similar flat shape and texture.
Stewed Pork Belly Slices:
Okinawa Soba comes with a few slices of stewed pork belly. When the meat is slow-stewed pork spare ribs, the dish is called Soki Soba (ソーキそば). When the meat is slow-stewed pig feet, it’s called Tebichi soba (てびちそば). We tried a few different versions when we were in Okinawa, and they were all delicious in this noodle soup. The way the pork belly is cooked is very similar to Rafute. If you plan to cook Rafute, you can make extra and use that as a topping for your Okinawa Soba!
Fish Cakes:
Another must-have item on Okinawa Soba is a particular type of fish cake called Satsuma Age (薩摩揚げ). This fish cake is deep-fried, so you see the brown skin on the outside and white skin on the inside. It was originally from Chinese cuisine and then brought over to Okinawa and Kyushu regions. This is another reason why I feel Okinawa Soba is much closer to udon than ramen, as you don’t see Satsuma Age on ramen ever.
Garnishes:
Usually very simple – just chopped green onion and red pickled ginger. I love that pickled ginger is included in this dish. The tangy taste of ginger is a refreshing palate cleanser while enjoying the pork belly. Are you ready to add Okinawan Soba to your noodle soup repertoire? Before you get into the kitchen, don’t forget to check out other delicious Okinawan recipes and travel guides.
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