A "Place to Return To" Called Cold Meat Soba? The Taste of Yamagata, Tohoku, in Your Own Kitchen.

To you, who are leaving Yamagata this spring to pursue your studies.
What will you pack in the gaps of your cardboard boxes? Clothes, books, photos of memories. But what you might truly need is the memory of a taste.

Yamagata's soul food, cold meat soba.
It originated in Kahoku Town. It is "cold" even in the middle of summer. And the star is not beef, but stewing hen.
A firm, chewy texture. A sweet and savory broth. A bowl with ice cubes floating in it.
It is not flashy. But it is quietly strong.

Today, I want to share a recipe that can be made with a single burner, for college students living alone who are leaving their hometown.



■ Cold Meat Soba (1 serving)

【Ingredients】
• Soba noodles: 1 bundle
• Chicken thigh (stewing hen if possible / young chicken is fine if not): 100g
• Green onion: 1/3 stalk
• Mentsuyu (3x concentrate): 3 tablespoons
• Water: 150ml
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon
• Ice: As needed



■ Instructions

① Simmer the chicken
Put 150ml of water, mentsuyu, and sugar in a small pot, add the bite-sized chicken pieces, and simmer over low-medium heat for 5–7 minutes.
※ If using stewing hen, simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.

② Chill
Turn off the heat and let it cool as is. Once it reaches room temperature, put it in the refrigerator.
This is important. Even though it is cold, the richness of the fat will float to the top.

③ Boil the soba
Boil according to the package instructions, rinse thoroughly under running water, and chill in ice water.

④ Serve
Place the soba in a bowl and pour the chilled chicken and broth over it.
Top with plenty of diagonally sliced green onion.

Done.


■ Tips for success
• The sweetness should be "just a little." The taste of Yamagata is gentle.
• Have the courage to float ice in it.
• If you can find stewing hen, choose it without hesitation. The more you chew, the more it feels like home.



■ Why is it cold?

It is cold even in winter.
This is partly wisdom for preservation, and partly the practicality of busy farmers.

But I believe there is another reason.
Because it is cold, it stays in your heart.

Warm things disappear in the moment.
Cold things sink in slowly afterward.

The same goes for your hometown.
It only touches your soul once you have left it.



■ For nights when you live alone

Late for a lecture, tired from a part-time job,
there will be days when you feel down after seeing someone else's success on social media.

On such nights, boil some soba.
Simmer some chicken.
Float some ice.

Inside that bowl, Yamagata will return to you.

It doesn't have to be flashy.
It doesn't have to be strong.
You just have to savor it.



The taste of home is your "reboot button."

Yamagata is not far away.
With one bowl of cold meat soba, you can return home in an instant.
Stay grounded.