Abura Soba (Mazesoba): Oil-Flavored Soupless Ramen

A wide variety of noodles are available in Japan, among which the four dishes, Ramen, Udon, Soba, and Yakisoba, are the most popular and widely enjoyed.

In addition, we Japanese have some other noodle dishes to eat at home or in restaurants.

Left: Tsukemen (つけ麺)      Right: Somen (そうめん)

Examples include Tsukemen (つけ麺), a type of Ramen consisting of noodles and a dipping soup served in separate bowls,

and Somen (そうめん) of thin wheat noodles and a Mentsuyu sauce, also served separately.

Tsukemen and Somen are for the hot summer months, so if I give one more example eaten throughout the year, what comes to my mind is Abura Soba (油そば).

Abura Soba (油そば)/Maze Soba (まぜそば)

Abura Soba (油そば: meaning Oil Noodles), also known as Maze Soba (まぜそば: Mixed Noodles), is also a type of Ramen.

However, while ordinary Ramen comes in a hot bowl of broth made with various ingredients such as pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetables, Abura Soba has no soup.

The latter directly flavors its noodles with seasonings such as sesame oil, soy sauce-based sauce, chili oil, and vinegar. The soupless Ramen is Abura Soba because its main seasoning is oil.

How to Eat

Abura Soba has its flavor base, such as seasoning oil and sauce, on the bottom of the bowl.

After being served in the restaurant, you can add chili oil and vinegar to the noodles to your taste before eating.

Then, give it all a good stir to coat the noodles with the seasonings. As you can guess, the mixing style gives Abura Soba another name Mazesoba.

Instant Noodles

Abura Soba has gained popularity and is also available in instant noodles. And this Myojo Bubuka Abura Soba (ぶぶか油そば) is the top-seller.

Bubuka (ぶぶか) is one of the best Abura Soba specialty shops in Tokyo, whose main restaurant is in Kichijoji (MAP). The collaboration product with Myojo has been around since 2002.

(Reference Page: Wikipedia 油そば )