Hello everyone at MaryGraceSpa! How are you spending the remaining time of the year 2023?
On the last day of the year, it’s time for “Toshikoshi Soba,” isn’t it? This time, let’s focus on the beauty effects of soba and explore its secrets.
Soba contains abundant ingredients that are effective for beautiful skin.
Now, let me introduce the representative ingredients and their wonderful effects.
➀Rutin: Antioxidant Gem Rutin in soba has a powerful antioxidant effect. This component inhibits the generation of free radicals, protecting the skin from damage. With approximately 10mg of rutin per 100g, it takes a step towards achieving beautiful skin.
②Protein: Building Material for the Skin Protein, necessary for building the skin, is plentiful in soba. Soba flour contains about 10g of protein per 100g, contributing to maintaining skin health.
③Vitamin E: Guardian of Blood Vessels Vitamin E strengthens blood vessels and keeps the skin youthful. By consuming soba, you can expect to maintain beautiful skin.
④Vitamin B1: Metabolism Booster Vitamin B1, which promotes the metabolism of carbohydrates, is also effective for dieting. Incorporating soba into your diet may help you achieve both healthy skin and a slim body.
⑤Niacin: Prevention of Spots and Wrinkle Prevention Niacin in soba suppresses melanin production, preventing the occurrence of spots. It also stimulates collagen production, preventing wrinkles.
These wonderful ingredients contribute to the beauty effects of soba. Furthermore, the low calorie content is an added bonus. For those who want to succeed in both maintaining beauty and dieting, soba can be considered an ideal ingredient.
While savoring the deliciousness of soba, let’s also reflect on its benefits and look forward to the new year.
➀Wishing for Longevity: Soba noodles, thin and long, symbolize the wish for longevity and extended life.
②Wishing for Health: Soba, a robust crop that thrives even in strong winds and rain, is eaten with the hope for good health.
③Wishing to Cut Ties with Misfortune: The easy or quick cutting nature of soba noodles signifies cutting off the difficulties and hardships of the past year.
④Wishing for the Continuation of Good Relationships: Similar to the long and continuous nature of soba noodles, it symbolizes the hope for the continuation of good relationships and family bonds.
MaryGraceSpa’s Mariko’s Toshikoshi Soba Recipe
At MaryGraceSpa, we introduce a special Toshikoshi Soba recipe. Enjoy this dish to refresh both your mind and body. Considering the benefits and components of soba for beauty and health, it will undoubtedly taste even more delicious.
Kansai-style Sweet Soba Dipping Sauce Recipe: (For 4 servings)
Ingredients:
Dashi broth: 400ml
Soy sauce: 1/2 cup
Mirin: 1/4 cup
Hokkaido Tensai (main ingredient of sugar): 2 tablespoons
Note: Tensai is a plant in the chicory family, and its root extract is used as one of the main ingredients for sugar. It is also known as sugar beet.1
Instructions:
➀Prepare dashi broth and kombu as desired.
②Put mushrooms in a pot (you can blanch or steam them). Warm them over low heat.
③Add Tensai, mirin, soy sauce in order, and mix well.
④Once melted, stop the heat, and your sauce is ready.
With these steps, you can make a Kansai-style sweet soba dipping sauce. You can enhance the flavor by adding yuzu pepper or shichimi togarashi according to your taste.
Additional Toppings:
Green onions (minced)
Kombu (as desired)
Mushrooms (as desired)
Yuzu (as desired)
Nori seaweed (as desired)
Cook soba noodles according to the package instructions, drain, and rinse with cold water.
Serve soba in a bowl and top with dipping sauce, green onions, yuzu, and nori seaweed.
Your delicious Toshikoshi Soba is ready!
Considering these benefits and components, soba becomes even more charming.
Soba is rich in essential vitamins and minerals, especially dietary fiber, promoting not only beautiful skin but also dieting and overall health.
Gratitude and Wishes for the Coming Year to MaryGraceSpa’s Customers
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of MaryGraceSpa’s customers for this year. With the support of many, we have been able to spend days pursuing beauty and health together.
We look forward to your continued patronage next year.
We operate continuously during the year-end and New Year holidays.
With sincere prayers, we wish for a peaceful, prosperous, healthy, and loving new year for all of you.
MaryGraceSpa will continue to support your beauty and health.
As you enjoy Toshikoshi Soba, reflecting on good memories and setting new dreams and goals, have a wonderful New Year!
Expressing Thanks,
MaryGraceSpa
Finally, please remember that taking care of your own physical and mental health not only benefits you but also positively influences those around you. Your pursuit of health and beauty is a valuable step towards the happiness of not only yourself but also the people around you and society as a whole.
Your small actions have the power to create a big circle of happiness. As awareness of personal beauty and health increases, it naturally leads to empathy towards others and contributes to an overall sense of well-being in society.
We hope MaryGraceSpa’s blog can be a catalyst for small changes in your life, leading to happiness, beauty, and health for the entire Japan. As we approach the new year, we sincerely hope to deliver peace and happiness to all of you.
Wishing you inner peace and happiness,
MaryGraceSpa Staff
