Eating soba noodles is a huge tradition in Japanese culture. We eat it for good luck and longevity.
I made Soba with Duck broth dipping sauce and Seared Duck breast. Duck breast was seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and they were pan-fried. To make the skin nicely crispy, they were cooked breast down first over medium-low heat until the skin is nicely golden. Then, they were turned over and cooked until ready.
The dipping broth was made with the very rich duck stock (I made with the carcasses from roasted duck), with mirin and soy sauce. Some thinly-sliced negi (Japanese green onion) were simmered in the broth. Soba was "ni-hachi" soba (high-quality soba, with 80% of buckwheat and just 20% of wheat flour). The condiments were grated daikon, chopped mitsuba, roasted sesame seeds, shichimi pepper, and shredded nori seaweed.
The meal was so tasty, and I felt receiving good luck in my body! The duck was so crispy and juicy. I enjoyed dipping the duck in the broth and eat with some grated daikon.
Since I had extra duck stock, next day for lunch, I further reduced the stock and made Chinese-style duck noodle dish for lunch. So nice!
