Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Noodles Soba Noodles with Crispy Duck and Hot Dipping Sauce Be the first to rate & review! The combination of cold, chewy homemade soba noodles with steaming-hot crispy duck and dashi-enriched dipping sauce is an unparalleled delight. Timing is key when making this dish—cook the soba just before you serve. Work ahead by steeping the dashi and seasoning the duck the night before or the morning of cooking. For the purest flavor, seek out hon mirin ("real mirin"), which has no added sweeteners or salt. By Sonoko Sakai Sonoko Sakai Sonoku Sakai is a Japanese American cooking teacher, recipe developer, and food writer. She's the author of IACP Award-winning cookbook Japanese Home Cooking and has demonstrated her expertise in Japanese cuisine on national and local public television. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Total Time: 8 hrs 50 mins Servings: 4 Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 4 cups filtered water 1 (3-inch) kombu square 3 medium-size dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1/8 ounces), rinsed 2 (6-ounces) duck breasts (such as Muscovy or Pekin) ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons hon mirin 1 ½ tablespoons cane sugar 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, cut into 2- x 1/4-inch strips 1 tablespoon sake (optional) 2 (2-x 1-inch) lemon or yuzu peel strips, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1 1/2- x 1/8- x 1/8-inch strips Fresh mitsuba or flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish Shichimi togarashi, for garnish Thinly sliced fresh serrano chile, for garnish Homemade Soba Noodles Directions Stir together 4 cups filtered water, kombu, and shiitakes in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Remove kombu and mushrooms; discard or, if desired, reserve to make another batch of dashi. Sprinkle duck breasts all over with salt. Place duck, skin side up, on a plate. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours or up to overnight. Combine soy sauce, hon mirin, and sugar in a large saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to simmer and sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in dashi, leek strips, and, if using, sake. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until leek is tender and mixture has reduced to about 4 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Cover dipping sauce, and keep warm over low until ready to serve. Heat a medium skillet over medium. Place duck breasts, skin sides down, in skillet; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, undisturbed, occasionally spooning off drippings from skillet, until fat is rendered and skin is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip duck breasts; cook until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 130°F for medium-rare, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer duck to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. To serve, divide dipping sauce evenly among 4 bowls. Cut duck breasts crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and add to bowls. Top evenly with citrus peel and ginger strips; garnish with mitsuba, togarashi, and serrano. Serve immediately with cold soba noodles. Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Paige Grandjean and Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Make Ahead Dashi can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week; dipping sauce can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Note Find hon mirin, yuzu, mitsuba, and togarashi at Japanese markets or online. Originally appeared: March 2021 Rate It Print