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–+ servings

Nikutama Ankake Soba (Beef & Egg Soba Noodle Soup)

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating Time20 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 ptns dry soba noodles or fresh soba noodles
  • 150 g thinly sliced beef preferably well-marbled cut
  • 50 g maitake mushrooms or mushroom of your choice
  • 1 tbsp ginger root peeled, julienned
  • 1 tsp cooking oil neutral oil like vegetable, canola, or rice bran

Marinade

  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
  • 1 tbsp sake drinking-grade pure rice sake recommended
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp grated apple
  • ½ tbsp sugar I used light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp grated ginger root or ginger paste

Soup

Topping

Instructions 

  • Take a bowl or container and add 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp grated apple, ½ tbsp sugar and ½ tsp grated ginger root. Mix well, then add 150 g thinly sliced beef. Mix until coated, then cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
    thinly sliced beef coated in marinade in a steel container to make nikutama soba
  • Once the marinating time is up, heat a frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp cooking oil. Once hot, add 1 tbsp ginger root and fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
    frying julienned ginger in a frying pan on the stove
  • Add the marinated beef along with the marinade and 50 g maitake mushrooms to the pan.
    ginger, maitake mushrooms and marinated beef in a frying pan on the stove
  • Simmer the beef and mushrooms in the sauce until the beef is cooked and the mushrooms are softened, then remove the pan from the heat.
    cooked beef, maitake mushrooms and ginger in sauce in a frying pan on the stove
  • Boil 2 ptns dry soba noodles in plenty of water for the time stated on the packaging. Once cooked, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.
    dry soba noodles boiling in a pot of water on the stove
  • While the noodles cook, make the soup. Take a separate pot and add 500 ml dashi stock, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp mirin, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and ½ tsp oyster sauce. Mix well and heat until it reaches a boil.
    soba noodle soup in a pot on the stove
  • Once boiling, turn off the heat. Take a small bowl and mix 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) and 1 tbsp water to make a slurry. Slowly drizzle the slurry into the soup while mixing continuously to prevent lumps.
    mixing slurry into soba noodle soup in a pot on the stove
  • Turn the heat back on and bring to a gentle simmer, mixing occasionally. In the meantime, crack 2 eggs into a jug and whisk thoroughly.
    whisked egg in a small glass bowl on a white background
  • Once the soup starts to bubble again, drizzle the whisked eggs into the pot one-third at a time, allowing the soup to return to simmer between each addition. Stir in one direction to prevent breaking the eggs. Once the eggs are cooked to your liking, take the pot off the heat.
    egg ribbons in soba noodle soup in a pot on the stove
  • Rinse the cooked soba noodles with hot water to warm them through, then shake thoroughly and place in serving bowls. Pour the eggs and soup over the noodles, then top with the beef and mushroom mixture.
    soba noodles in egg ankake soup topped with marinated beef and maitake mushrooms in a white and brown bowl on a white background
  • Garnish with finely chopped green onions, grated ginger root, and tempura flakes (tenkasu) to taste. See note for additional flavor variations. Enjoy!
    Nikutama Ankake Soba (Beef & Egg Soba Noodle Soup) in a white and brown bowl next to a dish with fresh ginger root and 2 eggs

Notes

  • Mix potato starch with water immediately before using.
  • Always taste and adjust seasonings before adding the thickening slurry - once thickened, incorporating seasonings becomes much harder.
  • For mushroom substitutions, use shiitake instead of maitake in the same quantity, or try button mushrooms for a milder flavor.
  • For flavor variations (味変), offer yuzu kosho, yuzu peel, sansho powder, or shichimi togarashi halfway through the meal to refresh the palate and prevent flavor fatigue.
  • Do not store a completed dish. Prep components separately up to 3 days ahead if needed, but always thicken just before serving.
  • Serving ideas: Cucumber pickles, Napa cabbage pickles, Spinach ohitashi salad, Hiyayakko (cold tofu).
  • Note: While the nutritional information includes the full serving of broth, most people in Japan don't actually finish all the soup.