Duck Soba
Duck soba is a nod to the Japanese tradition of eating soba at midnight on New Year's Eve, but we love to enjoy it year-round. Packed full of traditional Japanese ingredients, it's still easy enough to make at home.
Ingredients
For the dashi broth
- 8 cups water
- One (5-by 10-inch) sheet kombu (or enough smaller pieces to make a similar size rectangle)
- 4 cups tightly packed bonito flakes
For the seasoned spinach
- 1 pound regular or baby spinach, chopped (or other tender, leafy green)
- 1/2 cup dashi
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium or regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons mirin
For the soba
- 1 about 5 ounces skin-on duck breast
- Kosher salt
- 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths
- 3 cups dashi
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium or regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon mirin
- 7 ounces dried soba noodles
- 1/2 cup seasoned spinach
Instructions
Make the dashi
- In a large pot over high heat, bring 8 cups water to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and add the kombu. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the bonito flakes, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and let cool. (You can cover and refrigerate the dashi for up to 2 days or freeze it for a couple months.)
Make the seasoned spinach
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
- Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes—a shorter bath for baby spinach, longer for sturdier leaves. Drain the spinach in a colander and then plunge it into the ice bath.
- When the spinach is completely cool, drain it, squeeze it with your hands to remove as much water as possible, and transfer it to a small bowl.
- Stir in the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Make the soba
- With a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breast diagonally every 1/4 inch (6 mm), being careful not to slice all the way to the meat, then repeat in the opposite direction to create a crosshatch pattern.
- Season the duck breast on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Place a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1/4 cup water. Place the duck in the pan, skin side down, and cook until the water has completely evaporated, 6 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the skin is browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes more. Flip the duck breast so it’s skin side up and cook to your desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium-rare or 5 minutes for medium-well. Transfer the breast to a cutting board.
- Drain the fat from the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until lightly browned and wilted, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot over high heat, bring 6 cups water to a boil and season liberally with salt.
- In a separate saucepan over high heat, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer.
- Cook the soba in the boiling water according to the package instructions, then drain and divide between 2 bowls.
- Thinly slice the duck on a diagonal. Ladle the broth over the soba and top with the sliced duck and browned scallions. Add a spoonful of spinach and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 2084kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 350g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 317mg | Sodium: 5991mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g