// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Tensoba say to its noodle friend? "You're a soba above the rest.

Tensoba

Type	Japanese noodles
Place of origin	Japan
Main ingredients	Noodles (soba), tempura
Media: Tensoba

Tensoba, or tempura soba, is a Japanese dish of soba noodles and tempura.

Overview

There are two varieties of tensoba: one is served with a hot broth of dashi and soy sauce; the other is served with cooled soba and dipped in tsukejiru (lit. 'dipping sauce'), either chilled or hot and usually strongly flavored. The dipping variety is also called tenzaru-soba or ten-seiro, depending on the soba shop or stand.

Like tendon, tensoba uses many kinds of vegetable or seafood tempura, or kakiage (lit. 'scratch tempura', using a mixture of vegetable or seafood bits).

History

Tensoba originated during the mid-Edo period. It was first eaten as a hot broth soba with kakiage, using the adductor muscles of surf clams. At that time, shrimp tempura-soba was more expensive than other ingredients. So, shrimp tempura-soba is also called jo-tempura-soba (lit. 'upper-class tempura-soba') or ebiten-soba.

Regional variety

There are some regional varieties for tensoba toppings. In Kanto and Kyushu, the soba shops often use satsuma age (fried fish cake) or chikuwa for tempura. These two fish cakes are sometimes batter-fried.