soba noodles

[popover]

Hello all,
Looking to purchase soba noodles (not restaurant; I want to cook with them).
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

[Charles Yu]

Although a clone of the Japanese instant noodle, you should give the 'Korean' Hoo Roo Rook by Nongshim a try! Ultra thin and chewy, non-fried, mild and smooth and no MSG. One of the best instant soba noodles around!
You can get them at H-Mart.

[mrsleny]

Is this soba or ramen?

[Charles Yu]

Its soba. Too thin to be ramen

[mrsleny]

Thank you!

[berbere]

unless there is another 'soba' version of the Hoo Roo Rook, to my knowledge this instant noodle only comes in one version with the skinny ultra thin white noodles which is not made with buckwheat at all but made with flour. the only korean noodle that comes close to soba insofar as it is made with buckwheat flour would be the naengmyun noodles also called 'maemil' (=buckwheat in korean) - in any case, noodles made with buckwheat would be a little brownish in colour and Hoo Roo Rook is starkly white (at least the one I have tried).

[mrsleny]

Hmmm .. they sound more like somen then.

[Charles Yu]

Well, I did say its a Japanese 'clone' from Korea?!!
Irrespective, compare to some others, this version is pretty good IMO.

[berbere]

yes, they are somen, and no different than boiling your own skinny somen noodles with some dashi broth

[mrsleny]

Not authentic but I do like the kamut soba from Sobaya (http://www.sobaya.ca/kamtorg.htm). It doesn't get "gloopy" like some buckwheat sobas.

[lamaranthe]

100% soba noodles will disappoint you. Just like 100% rye bread. Both take a little bit of other flours to have the texture that will make them pleasant and eatable.

[Thatcher]

Another vote for T&T. Multiple brands to chose from. As well as the soba sauce. Package of noodles should be anywhere between $1.99 and 2.99...

[ikapai]

The soba at Sanko is pretty expensive. I spent $7 there the other day on 6 little bunches of noodles (1 bunch good for about 1.5 servings).

I did see them on the shelf at the Rosedale Loblaws so I would assume they would have them at other locations. They're in with the "organic/healthy" food.

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Sanko
730 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[Mila]

I found 100% buckwheat Soba at my health food store. I find depending on variety many are closer to spaghetti than soba in terms of white flour content.

[pinstripeprincess]

100% buckwheat? in my experience of trying to make them and after doing some research online, buckwheat does not have glutens and is very difficult to turn into a noodle on it's own and will require some help from other flour.

[Mila]

I'll let you know, haven't tried them yet.
Expensive, $6.99 for very small package.

[aser]

Most packaged soba is mixed w/ wheat flour to make it more stable and cost effective. I think soba society if anybody will be the only ones in the city trying to make soba as close to 100% buckwheat as possible.

The guy that runs the stall at j-town took classes from soba society to learn how to make it.

http://www.sobacanada.com/

[lamaranthe]

Hi Princess, I am a bit late in commenting on your remarks re soba noodles but I still want to say that I fully agree with you. I had the same problem with chestnut flour.

[1sweetpea]

I've tried the 100% buckwheat soba from my health food store. It turned mushy in no time and was very difficult to hold together with my chopsticks. My soup was ultimately thickened by my buckwheat mush, much to my chagrin. I've since returned to the wheat and buckwheat blends, with much more success. The people at Sanko are very nice. Ask questions and they'll be happy to help you decide which noodles are best for your dishes/tastes.

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Sanko
730 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[yoyodyne]

I used to get them at Little Tokyo in Kensington market but they've sadly closed. Second Sanko's.

[foodismyhobby]

the japanese grocery store on queen west, sanko, has a wide selection of soba noodles and they're very helpful at explaining the differences between the ones they sell.
http://www.toronto-sanko.com/en/

[jeannieh20]

most chinese/asian markets have them, if you want authentic real japanese soba noodles then try J-Town on Steels just east of Woodbine.

[tjr]

T&T and PAT have them. I've seen them at Loblaw's and Zehrs too (usually by the "sushi").