I came across this idea on @iamafoodblog’s post and cannot look at these photos without feeling overwhelming happy on the inside. These Totoro’s were eaten with most reluctance and they were a ton of fun to make. If you’re hosting, it’s a great way to entertain your guests by handing them a pair of scissors, a nori sheet, a slab of mozzarella cheese and setting them to work.

I love the simplicity of Japanese recipes made with few but good ingredients. These soba noodles take less than six ingredients to put together but are so satisfying and light. Paired with ramen egg — it’s going to be a repeat meal in my kitchen.

Totoro Soba Noodles

You will need:

Noodles/Totoro Body:
Buckwheat soba noodles
White somen noodles
Sliced mozzarella cheese (for eyes)
Nori sheet

Dashi sauce:
Green onions, sliced
Dashi powder 1 tbsp ( i use Hondashi, found in T&T)
Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Water 1/4 cup
Mirin, 1 tsp
Sesame oil, to taste

1. Prep the Totoro eyes, nose, whiskers.

2. Cook noodles. Follow cooking instructions on the package or here.

Somen: Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Throw in a bundle of noodles, stir and set the timer for 3 minutes. Taste test them for doneness. Drain hot water with a strainer and rinse repeatedly under cold water until the water runs clear. This will prevent your noodles from sticking together.

Buckwheat soba: Same instructions as somen but set the timer for 6 minutes.

3. Combine and stir dashi powder, soy sauce, water and mirin in a bowl. Taste for flavour. The sauce should be very salty.

4. Form Totoro body with buckwheat noodles, using white somen for the abdomen, cheese for eyes and nori to top.

5. To serve: drizzle dashi sauce over noodles. Add a sprinkle of sesame oil, sesame seeds. Garnish with green onions. Serve with a ramen egg if you have one on hand. Enjoy.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, here is an old recipe for Totoro Rice cakes.