Tanuki Soba
Soba noodles with crunchy tempura bits
Ingredients
- 200 g Soba noodles (buckwheat)
- 120 ml Mentsuyu (noodle base)
- 40 g Panko
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- 2 Scallions (optional)
- 1 sheet Nori sheets (optional)
Method
- Slice the scallions and shred the nori.
- Fry the panko in oil until golden and crisp for the tanuki bits, then drain.
- Warm the mentsuyu with water into a broth.
- Boil the soba, then drain and divide into bowls.
- Pour the broth over, scatter the crisp bits, scallion, and nori, and serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Tanuki Soba
Tanuki soba is a humble bowl from Japan's everyday noodle repertoire: buckwheat soba served in hot dashi broth and crowned with tenkasu, the crunchy scraps of fried tempura batter. The name literally references a raccoon-dog from folklore, but in kitchen terms it simply marks the version topped with those crisp bits rather than a piece of tempura itself. It sits at the cheap, fast, comforting end of Japanese noodle-shop menus, the kind of thing eaten standing at a station counter. Here the crunchy topping is improvised by frying panko until golden, a practical stand-in for true batter scraps.
The pleasure of tanuki soba is textural contrast: the earthy, slightly nutty soba and the savory-sweet mentsuyu-based broth against the fat, toasty crackle of the fried bits, which soften as they sit in the liquid and thicken it slightly. Scallions add a sharp green bite and nori brings a whisper of the sea. It comes together in under twenty minutes because the broth is just mentsuyu loosened with water, making it a genuine weeknight lunch or a light dinner. Eat it quickly, before the crisp bits go fully soft, and slurp the noodles the way they're meant to be enjoyed.
Tanuki Soba: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Tanuki Soba?
A serving has about 419 calories — 12.5g protein, 63.5g carbs, 15g fat, 1.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Tanuki Soba gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Soba noodles (buckwheat), Mentsuyu (noodle base), Panko. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Tanuki Soba take to make?
About 18 minutes start to finish, but only around 12 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Tanuki Soba?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, nori sheets — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Tanuki Soba make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.