Cha Soba (Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles) Recipe

By
Judy Ung
Judy Ung
Food writer, recipe developer, and blogger who has published hundreds of Japanese home-cooking recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/22/22
Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles (Cha Soba)

The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 21 mins
Servings: 3 servings

“Cha soba” is a thin Japanese soba noodle infused with green tea or “ocha” or “cha” for short. It is made of buckwheat flour or “soba-ko,” wheat flour or “komugi-ko,” and the addition of green tea. The green tea is what gives cha soba noodles its light green color. Traditional Soba noodles are typically grey-brown in color.

The addition of green tea adds a subtle yet elegant flavor when compared side-by-side with traditional buckwheat, or soba, noodles. During the hot and humid summer months in Japan, cha soba is especially refreshing when served chilled, and the subtle flavor of green tea takes this dish to another level.

Chilled cha soba is enjoyed by dipping the noodles in a savory soy sauce and dashi-based sauce. There are several varieties of pre-made and bottled soba noodle dipping sauces available at Japanese supermarkets or Asian markets in the West. This convenience makes it very easy to prepare a Japanese noodle dish at home for a quick lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients

  • 1 (7-ounce) package dry cha-soba (green tea soba noodles)

  • Ice cubes, optional

  • Sliced cucumbers, for garnish, optional

  • Sliced tomatoes, for garnish, optional

  • Kinshi tamago, for garnish, optional

  • Natto (fermented soybeans), optional, for garnish

  • Wasabi, optional, for garnish

  • Chopped scallions, optional, for garnish

  • Thinly sliced seaweed (kizami nori), optional, for garnish

  • Dipping sauce, such as bottled soba sauce or soy sauce with scallions, optional, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles (Cha Soba) ingredients

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  2. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add dry cha soba noodles to boiling water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes for al dente noodles or cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes for soft noodles or until your desired tenderness. For soba noodles, however, we recommend al dente noodles for best taste and texture.

    soba noodles in a pot with water

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  3. Using a strainer, drain and rinse noodles with cold water. To quickly chill, add ice cubes to the noodles and allow to continue to drain in strainer.

    soba noodles in a colander with ice

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  4. Prepare desired garnishes as provided in description above.

    Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles (Cha Soba) garnishes

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  5. The addition of sliced green onions and wasabi to dipping sauce is often a wonderful compliment to any cold noodle dish. Serve chilled noodles on a plate and dipping sauce in a separate cup. Dip cha soba noodles in sauce with desired garnishes. 

    Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles (Cha Soba) with garnishes on the side

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

Recipe Variation

  • While it's somewhat untraditional, if you’re interested in adding meat, shredded chicken is a great compliment to cold soba noodles. Another popular protein often enjoyed with noodles in Japanese cuisine is duck meat or “kamon.”

Additional Garnishes

If you prefer, as an alternative to store-bought dipping sauce, a basic homemade dipping sauce for noodles can be prepared at home. A simple dipping sauce recipe for cold noodles is available on our site.

Chilled cha soba noodles may be served with a variety of garnishes. For example:

  • Kinshi tamago (finely shredded slices of Japanese egg crepes or omelet)

  • Julienned cucumbers

  • Sliced cherry tomatoes

  • Spinach, cooked

  • Wakame (cooked kelp or seaweed)

  • Sansai (cooked Japanese mountain vegetables)

  • Kinoko (variety of mushrooms, sautéed)

  • Yamakake (grated Japanese mountain yam)

  • Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums)

  • Tenkasu (crunchy pieces of fried tempura batter)

  • Natto (fermented soy beans)

  • Daikon oroshi (grated Japanese daikon radish)

  • Kizami nori (finely sliced seaweed)

  • Shiso (chiffonade of perilla leaves)

  • Scallions, finely sliced

  • Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
65 Calories
0g Fat
14g Carbs
3g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories 65
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 3mg 0%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 23mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)