Toshikoshi Soba (New Year's Eve Soba) is a traditional Japanese recipe for a good luck New Year soup of soba (buckwheat) noodles in dahsi or mentsuyu stock served with a range of toppings. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Japanese version of: New Year's Eve Soba (Toshikoshi Soba).
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Toshikoshi Soba (New Year’s Eve Soba) 年越しそば s a traditional Japanese noodle dish served on New Years Eve. Made with buckwheat noodles, hot dashi broth and a variety of toppings, this simple soba noodle soup symbolizes cutting off any hardships of the past year and welcoming good luck for the new year.
The simple dashi linked to in the recipe is a vegetarian recipe and does not include bonito flakes neither does it inclute shiitake nushrooms. As a result I've added a little MSG to this recipe to balance out the umami. If you make your dashi with bonito flakes or shiitake mushrooms you can omit the MSG.
The meanings of the various toppings are as follows:
Prawns: longevity because it bends at the waist, like your back when you get old.
Grated daikon radish: removing evil spirits & cutting bad ties.
Inari (fried tofu): symbolizes prosperity of business & good fortune.
Spring onions/leek: symbolizes the hard work of the year.
Kamaboko: the red symbolizes an amulet, while the white symbolizes purification
Eggs: the yolk symbolizes good luck, fortune and prosperity.
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