Hegi soba

Hegi soba is a traditional noodle dish belonging to the group of soba dishes and originating from the Uonuma area of Niigata Prefecture. It consists of buckwheat soba noodles and funori seaweed. The noodles are boiled, mixed with the seaweed, wound into bite-sized portions, and layered on a traditional wooden tray called hegi, hence the name of the dish itself. When served, these noodles are usually accompanied by mentsuyu dipping sauce, hot Chinese mustard (a replacement for wasabi, which is not grown in the area), sliced scallions, and ground sesame seeds. The mustard is spread on one part of hegi soba noodles, while the other part is dipped in the mentsuyu sauce and topped with scallions and ground sesame seeds. It's recommended that the mustard and the mentsuyu sauce don't mix on the noodles.