See it? Let's take a closer look using this prefecture map (Kobe's in the indigo section, in number 28 -- 兵庫県 or Hyōgo-ken):
Closer...(It's the dark green part):
And even closer!
Okaay, so the last one's a little old. But how often do you get to see a vintage, color postcard of a Japanese city?
Geography slide show aside, what do you think when you hear Kobe? With me its earthquakes. Probably some of you think either that or cow meat, or both. Of course there's a lot more going on there. Like soba meshi (or そば飯), which can also be spelled sans spacebar.
Now, if you have any exposure to Japanese, you might guess that soba meshi is some sort of rice and noodle dish, probably using soba noodles. You might just maybe even wonder if it's a variation on the theme of yakisoba, which would be the more accurate guess.
Origin Stories
Soba meshi's origins are, as has been so terribly common, not clear. One story sets the stage at 50 years ago, in an unregarded noodle shop on the edge of the city. The proprietors of the shop were bored out of their skulls, so they decided to get a little experimental in the kitchen, frying up a mix of noodles and rice. They tried selling it to people, and it was a hit.
But the Hyogo Tourism Guide has it that an okonomiyaki chef created it upon a request by a customer. A Blogger blog titled Hyogo Tourism TID Blog Go! Go! Hyogo says that it was invented by women factory workers who went to okonomiyaki restaurants, and used the teppan grills there to mix rice they'd brought with them with Worcestershire sauce and Chinese style wheat noodles.
It's a good thing I don't have one of those sand-filled stress balls, or I'd probably end up like Dilbert, asking for a new kybard.
Whatever the specifics, soba meshi is a food that Kobe's known for. One book (it's in the References -- and don't worry, you can't miss it), even called it "Kobe soul food". (And the shop's still there, by the way. Dunno the name of it, but it's there.)
Ingredients
The list of ingredients for classic soba meshi is cabbage, onion, yakisoba noodles/chukamen (chopped), rice, and (we all might have guessed) cow meat. Though you'll also see other types, including soba meshi that's just rice and noodles fried together. And it looks like you use yakisoba sauce as well, though apparently it's not strictly necessary. I've seen people use a powder form of yakisoba flavoring, and at least one recipe that didn't seem to use either, though I only briefly looked at it.
Now, I have been fortunate to go to an Asian food market for the last couple of weeks, and on one trip got a bottle of Otafuku brand yakisoba sauce. (I've seen a book and a video use it, so I guess I bought a good pick for the "right" flavor. Yay!) Here's what the ingredients list says:
Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fruits and Vegetables (Tomato, Onion, Apple, Carrot, Peach, Date, Orange, Garlic), Water, Sugar, Hydrolized Soy Protein, Soy Sauce, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Spices, Caramel Coloring, Kelp Extract, Yeast Extract, Guar Gum, Kelp.
Sounds healthy, right? ;) I did taste a teeny bit of it... the flavor is a super salty mix of soy sauce, (muted/old) bullion and clove. Can't say I'll be using it as a dipping sauce anytime soon (which might be a big no-no anyway, for all I know), but we'll just have to see how it is when I cook with it.
Digging around I found different recipes out there, and so here are some I felt worthy of mention that I looked at.
Here's the first recipe video I ever looked at for soba meshi. (I know it doesn't have a lot of views, but think of it like one of those "hidden" places that can be so cool because it hasn't been discovered yet):
As you can (kinda, sorta barely) see, the chef/host used the brand Otafuku for her yakisoba sauce.
This is recipe that doesn't seem to mention yakisoba sauce or powder, and has different vegetables (including lettuce!), tuna and an egg.
The recipe video below uses yakisoba seasoning powder, instead of sauce... The chef/host/YouTube person's style of presentation might drive you a little nuts because of all the pausing, but I still had some fun watching it.
For you curry lovers out there, here's a recipe called Sobameshi Keema Curry. The soba meshi's on the left, and only has rice and noodles. (The bits on top are parsley flakes).
There's also instant soba meshi, for the convenience inclined. Just add water, give it a zap and mix in the flavored oil:
Yep. Can't say I found it terribly appealing at first sight, but it grew on me the more I watched.
The Other Soba meshi.
Of course, then there's a book that says soba meshi is rice, roasted fish and real soba noodles put in a lidded bowl, and steamed, with broth put on it after that. A few appropriate condiments include Welsh onion pieces and grated radish. It's a cold weather thing, apparently.
(I've seen books in German that mention "sobameshi" -- old books, like late 1800s type books. I wonder if they're talking about this soba meshi).
References:
Surprisingly short-ish this time!
"Chado: The Way of Tea"; Sanmi Sasaki, Shaun McCabe, Satoko Iwasaki; 2002
"A Cook's Journey to Japan"; Sarah Marx Feldner; 2010
Hyogo Tourism Guide: Sobameshi
La Fuji Mama: Spicy Sobameshi
Hyogo Tourism Guide TID Blog Go! Go! Hyogo: Sobameshi & Bokkake!
"The Rough Guide to Japan"; Jan Dodd, Simon Richmond, Sophie Branscombe, Sally McLaren, Sarah Richards; 2008
This last one's only a snippet view, so if you want to see the bit I read, you'll have to type in sobameshi and "Kobe soul food".
Picture Refs
By the way, the map of Japan came from the CIA World Factbook.
The postcard of Kobe has this for it's citation (I picked the MLA version): Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Birds ege [i.e., bird's eye] view of Kobe." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c260bdb3-9b88-4552-e040-e00a18066d81
The prefecture map and the green Kobe city map both came from (much as I don't like admitting it) Wikimedia. They're supposed to be public domain, have been on there since 2007, and I compared them to Google Maps and didn't notice any super vast differences in borders. So, yeah...
