Japanese Soba Noodle Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups dashi or light chicken broth
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons mirin
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 30 g dried bonito flakes
• Buckwheat soba noodles (see preparation)
• Thinly sliced ​​green onions
• Fried mushrooms
• Quail eggs
• Nori seaweed (fried and thinly sliced)
• Natto (fermented soybeans)

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, combine the dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the bonito flakes and immediately remove from the heat. Let the flakes steep for 10 seconds, then strain them. Cool the liquid to room temperature.
2. Cook the buckwheat noodles in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Serve the sauce with cold soba noodles as a dip, along with green onions, sautéed mushrooms, nori seaweed, quail eggs, and natto.