Japanese noodle, Soba is like a mirror of the mind

I watched a Japanese documentary TV show, "Professional" yesterday. It was a very interesting program. A soba chef, Kunihiro Takahashi was a great chef of soba (そば or 蕎麦). He is 68 years old. People call him "A God of Soba". 

Soba is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour and it can refer to any thin noodle in Japan (unlike thick wheat noodles, known as udon). Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.  

In his case, he just served chilled soba with a dipping sauce. Because he said, "It is very simple menu so it shows my mind. Soba is like a mirror of the mind." 

He lives in the countryside of Hiroshima in Japan. His Soba restaurant is open only weekends and holidays. He teaches how to make Soba for his pupils for the weekdays. 

He mixes 9 different of buckwheat. He rolls out the dough using a rolling pin. "If the dough's height is 1.2 mm, it is the best", he said.  It will be great "Nodogoshi（のどごし）". 

"Nodogoshi" is a word that is represented the comfort to go through the throat smoothly while feeling the coldness because of appropriate boiling and swing of noodles.


He has to roll out the dough as quickly as possible because it reduces the flavor. The dough has to form a square, not a round. People take 4 times to do that but he takes only 2 times.

He does not let his pupils roll out the dough. That is his work. He shows his work to his pupils and they watch his work and try to copy his work. 

He never gets upset with his pupils because he does not like that someone gets upset. He is very gentle and friendly. That kind of attitude reflects in his soba. Warm, soft and tender. He is serving that kind of soba for the customers. So, of course it is so delicious.

He is thinking to retire at 70. He had many different experiences in his career. It took a long time to get his ideal soba. But the detour of his life produced the best Soba. The detour is not always a waste of time.

I want to eat his soba before he retires.

Thank you so much!