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Sobacha
そば茶 (sobacha): roasted buckwheat tea with a nutty, toasted flavour
Sobacha is roasted buckwheat tea, drunk all over Japan and especially in the soba country of Nagano and Hokkaido, where it is poured free in noodle shops and kept in jugs in the fridge through summer. Toasted buckwheat groats are steeped in hot water to make a golden, caffeine-free tea with a nutty, almost popcorn aroma, and the softened groats can be eaten too, stirred into rice or salads. Nothing is added: no salt, no sugar, so about 0.0 g salt per cup. The usual mistake is burning the groats when roasting your own; keep the heat at medium and keep the pan moving. Use Tartary buckwheat (dattan soba) for a deeper yellow tea. Anyone with a buckwheat allergy should avoid it, as reactions can be serious. Chef's tip: steep a second time with slightly hotter water; the second cup is often the sweetest.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups waterjust off the boil
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: If your 3 tbsp raw buckwheat kernels (or ready-roasted sobacha) is raw, toast it in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes, shaking constantly, until deep golden-brown and smelling nutty. Tip onto a plate to cool. Skip this if it is ready-roasted.
6 minStep 2: Put the roasted groats in a teapot and pour over the 2 cups water at about 203°F.
1 minStep 3: Steep for 3 minutes, until the tea is amber. Pour into cups, holding back the groats.
3 minStep 4: Drink hot, or cool and chill for iced sobacha. Eat the soft groats with rice or salad if you like.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 5 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sobacha take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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