Sansai tanuki soba / buckwheat noodles with mountain vegetables and tempura pearls

As a noodle topping, sansai mountain vegetables alone give a refreshing taste but could be a bit too light. Tenkasu tempura pearls add a rich note but could lack texture. They soak up the soup, which could also mean you get more sodium than desired. Combining these two ingredients while reducing the volume of each is one delicious solution. Sliced young myoga stems offer a clean aroma and taste.

For the recipe below, usukuchi pale soy sauce and regular dark soy sauce, not reduced-sodium soy sauce, are used for the soup to achieve stronger umami. Dried enoki mushrooms are also added to enhance the umami effect. The strong soup means more satisfaction with a smaller amount compared to a weaker soup, and this naturally makes us refrain from taking extra sips, preventing excess sodium consumption. This works especially well with unflavored toppings or toppings that contain lots of moisture.

1/2 of recipe: 
425 calories; 17.7 g protein; 3.6 g fat; 78.6 g carbohydrate; 8.4 g net carbs; 479 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 7.2 g fiber; 371 mg potassium

Seri soba / buckwheat noodles with water dropwort

The refreshing leaves and crispy stems of seri water dropwort, the subtle softness of enoki mushrooms, and the juicy soup released by usuage ... all perfectly match the deep earthiness of soba noodles in broth.
This is what we enjoyed as our toshikoshi soba [year-end buckwheat noodles] on December 31 last year.

With 125 g dried soba noodles per serving
522 calories (1/2 of recipe); 24.0 g protein; 6.7 g fat; 90.8 g carbohydrate; 84.2 g net carbs; 536 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 6.6 g fiber

With 100 g dried soba noodles per serving
436 calories (1/2 of recipe); 20.5 g protein; 6.1 g fat; 74.1 g carbohydrate; 68.4 g net carbs; 515 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 5.7 g fiber

Soba to warabi no ponzu sarada / buckwheat noodle and bracken salad with citrus soy sauce

Warabi's succulent texture pairs well with soba buckwheat noodles and ponzujoyu. As warabi needs a bit of time to absorb flavor, it is cooked in dressing for the quick fix below.

1/2 of recipe:
251 calories; 8.3 g protein; 5.4 g fat; 43.4 g carbohydrate; 39.4 g net carbs; 223 mg sodium (with ponzujoyu made with 50% reduced sodium soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 4.0 g fiber

Shinshu-mushi / white-flesh fish steamed with soba noodles

A gentle steamed fish dish accompanied by soba buckwheat noodles.

1/2 of recipe:
272 calories; 24.3 g protein; 1.3 g fat; 41.7 g carbohydrate; 38.1 g net carbs; 395 sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 481 mg with regular soy sauce); 55 mg cholesterol; 3.6 g fiber

Sobagaki-iri konsaijiru / root vegetable soup with buckwheat dumplings

A satisfying and hearty soup with buckwheat dumplings.