Duck Soba Recipe

David Leite

For the Dashi Broth

Dashi is the foundation of many Japanese dishes, providing a delicate umami flavor. Making it from scratch ensures the freshest, most authentic taste for your soba.

• 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 (katsuobushi)

For the Seasoned Spinach (Ohitashi)

This simple yet flavorful spinach side dish adds a touch of green and a refreshing contrast to the rich duck and noodles.

• 1 pound regular or baby spinach, chopped (or other tender, leafy green like bok choy)
• 1/2 cup dashi (prepared from the previous step)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium or regular soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

For the Duck Soba Bowl

The star of the show, perfectly seared duck breast, combined with bouncy soba noodles and a savory broth, creates an unforgettable meal.

• 1 (about 5 ounces) skin-on duck breast
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths
• 3 cups dashi (prepared)
• 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 (ohitashi), prepared

Step 1: Master the Dashi Broth

Creating your own dashi is a foundational skill in Japanese cooking and truly enhances the flavor of your duck soba. This delicate broth requires minimal effort but delivers maximum umami.

1. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a gentle simmer over high heat. The key here is “gentle”—avoid a rolling boil as it can extract bitterness from the kombu. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and carefully add the kombu sheet. Allow it to steep for exactly 5 minutes. This gentle steeping extracts the sweet, savory essence of the kombu.
2. After 5 minutes, add the tightly packed bonito flakes to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. During this time, the heat from the water will gently infuse the bonito flakes, releasing their distinct smoky, fishy umami into the broth.
3. Strain the finished broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or container. Pressing the solids too hard can result in a cloudy or bitter dashi, so simply let it drip naturally. Allow the dashi to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover and refrigerate this flavorful base for up to 2 days or freeze it for several months, making future Japanese meals quick and easy.

Step 2: Prepare the Seasoned Spinach

This simple spinach side dish, known as Ohitashi, adds a fresh, vibrant, and slightly sweet-savory element to your soba, balancing the richness of the duck.

1. First, prepare an ice bath: fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. This is crucial for stopping the cooking process and preserving the spinach’s bright green color. Bring a separate pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil.
2. Add the chopped spinach to the boiling water. Cook just until it wilts, which will be 1 to 2 minutes. Baby spinach will cook faster, while tougher, mature leaves may need the full 2 minutes. Immediately drain the spinach in a colander, then plunge it into the prepared ice bath to rapidly cool it down and halt further cooking.
3. Once the spinach is completely cool to the touch, drain it again thoroughly. Use your hands to squeeze out as much excess water as possible. This step is important to prevent the seasoned spinach from becoming watery. Transfer the squeezed spinach to a small mixing bowl.
4. In the bowl with the spinach, stir in the 1/2 cup of reserved dashi, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of mirin. Mix well to ensure the spinach is evenly coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld and the spinach to absorb the seasoning.

Step 3: Assemble the Perfect Duck Soba

With your dashi and spinach ready, the final steps involve preparing the star of the dish – the duck breast – and bringing all the components together for a truly magnificent bowl of soba.

1. Begin by preparing the duck breast. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breast diagonally every 1/4 inch (6 mm). Be very careful to cut only through the skin and fat, not into the meat itself. Repeat this process in the opposite direction to create an appealing crosshatch pattern. This scoring helps render the fat more efficiently, resulting in beautifully crispy skin.
2. Season both sides of the duck breast generously with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Allow the duck to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This helps the salt penetrate the meat and brings the duck closer to cooking temperature, promoting even cooking.
3. Place a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of water to the cold pan. Place the duck breast into the pan, skin side down. Cook until the water has completely evaporated, which typically takes 6 to 10 minutes. The water helps to slowly render the fat without burning the skin. Continue to cook, still skin side down, until the skin is beautifully browned and crisp, another 10 to 15 minutes. This slow rendering is key to achieving that irresistible crispy skin. Flip the duck breast so it’s skin side up and cook to your desired doneness: approximately 3 minutes for a perfect medium-rare, or about 5 minutes for medium-well. Transfer the cooked duck breast to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing – this allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring a tender result.
4. While the duck rests, carefully drain most of the rendered duck fat from the skillet, leaving just a thin coating. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the cut scallions and cook them until they are lightly browned and wilted, about 2 to 5 minutes. These caramelized scallions add a wonderful sweetness and char to the final dish.
5. Meanwhile, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot and season it liberally with salt. This will be for cooking your soba noodles.
6. In a separate saucepan over high heat, combine the remaining 3 cups of prepared dashi, 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of mirin, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer. This will be your rich and flavorful soba broth.
7. Cook the soba noodles in the boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Soba cooks quickly, typically in just a few minutes, so watch them closely to avoid overcooking. Once al dente, drain the noodles well and divide them evenly between two large serving bowls.
8. Thinly slice the rested duck breast on a slight diagonal. Ladle the simmering dashi broth generously over the soba noodles in each bowl. Arrange the thinly sliced duck and the browned scallions on top. Finish by adding a spoonful of the seasoned spinach (ohitashi) to each bowl. Serve immediately and enjoy the harmonious blend of flavors and textures.

Adapted From

The Gaijin Cookbook

Buy On Amazon