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Soba Noodle Salad
This Soba Noodle Salad is exactly what you need for a quick, light meal. Tossed in a honey sesame dressing, you can easily customize this refreshing salad with your favorite vegetables and proteins. Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature.
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Serves
2
Instructions
- 01
Gather all the ingredients. In a large pot, bring water to a boil (you do not need to salt the water).
- 02
Combine 1 Tbsp neutral oil, 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, and ½ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) in a small saucepan.
- 03
Whisk it all together and infuse the oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. The oil should sizzle, but do not burn the chili flakes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 1–2 minutes. Tip: If you smell something burnt, the heat is too strong or you cooked it too long.
- 04
Add 3 Tbsp honey and whisk well until it has completely dissolved. Tip: Don‘t add the soy sauce first as it will splatter in the hot oil.
- 05
Add 3 Tbsp soy sauce to the mixture and whisk it all together. Set aside.
- 06
Add 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are al dente. Tip: I like to boil the noodles for 30 seconds less than the package instructions. Mine says to cook for 4 minutes, so I cook for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
- 07
Meanwhile, thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions.
- 08
Discard the stems of 1 handful cilantro (coriander) and chop the leafy parts into small pieces.
- 09
Drain the soba noodles into a colander and rinse them with your hand under cold running water. This important step removes the excess starch and stops the cooking.
- 10
Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the cooled dressing over the noodles.
- 11
Add the green onions, cilantro leaves, and 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds to the noodles. Toss everything together.
- 12
Transfer to a serving bowl or plate. Serve chilled or at room temperature. For a spicy kick, you can sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice).
- 13
Soba noodle salad is the perfect blank slate to customize with your favorite vegetables like edamame, sugar snap peas, cucumber slices, carrot strips, arugula, or red cabbage. Try adding blanched or pickled veggies like kimchi, Quick Fresh Kimchi, Spicy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers, and Blanched Broccoli with Sesame Oil. For a more substantial meal, add hard-boiled eggs, Ramen Eggs, shredded leftover chicken, or grilled tofu.
- 14
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
per serving · 1 serving
- Calories
- 309
- Protein
- 9g
- Carbs
- 48g
- Fat
- 11g
- Fiber
- 1g
- Sugar
- 9g
- Sat. fat
- 3g
- Sodium
- 904mg
Variations & swaps
Substitutions
- Toasted sesame seeds: If you can’t find them, use dry roasted peanuts instead.
- Honey: Use maple syrup for vegan.
- Soy sauce: Use tamari for gluten-free.
Variations and Customizations
- This Soba Noodle Salad recipe is the perfect blank slate for customization. For substance, feel free to add veggies or proteins and turn the salad into a main dish. Here are some delicious opt-in ingredients:
- Different sauce variations: Swap soy sauce with soy sauce with miso, gochujang, and tahini.
- Add legumes. Add edamame and sugar snap peas.
- Add vegetables. Thin strips of cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, or red cabbage, a handful of arugula or steamed broccoli, and pickled veggies such as kimchi.
- Add proteins. Grilled or pan-fried tofu, shredded leftover chicken, Miso Salmon, and hard-boiled eggs or Ramen Eggs.
- For a vegan version, swap honey with maple syrup.
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