Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Soba Noodle Salad

I've had a package of Soba Noodles sitting in the pantry for a couple of months now.  I picked them up on a whim, thinking that because Soba Noodles are made with Buckwheat flour that they're Gluten Free.

Well, they're not.

But since I had them, I decided to make something with the noodles for Tapas this month.  I'd googled Soba Noodles and saw that you could eat them either hot or cold.   And since it's kinda warm outside I decided to make them into a cold salad.

Then I had fun.  I did have some carrots in the fridge, but I wanted to include more veggies in the salad.  I thought maybe some green onions, and maybe some snow peas and for additional color and crunch, some red pepper.

Actually I thought of all of those after going to the grocery store and seeing what was available.  I also picked up a package of mushrooms, but decided against using them in the salad.  I thought they might get a little slimy.

So...

Now the adventure begins.

Soba Noodle
Or rather it began.

I measured the package of noodles against a skillet and decided that they would fit nicely in the pan, so I got some water boiling, then I opened up the package of noodles and dumped them in.

That was when I found out that the noodles were nicely bundled together in three smaller bundles.

With little plastic wraps holding them in place.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to cut those little wraps, while trying to fish out and separate the noodles in boiling water?

Well I managed to get most of them, separated, and cooking.  There were however, some bundles of noodles which had fused together, they became an offering to the Kitchen Goddess.

I have been known to make offerings like that from time to time. 

After the noodles had  boiled for the requisite 4 minutes, I took them out, rinsed them in cold water and set them aside, while I prepared the vegetables.
I cut the green onions into strips, along with the carrots, snow peas and some red pepper.   I wanted them all to be strips to go with the noodles.     And I made a mess. 
But I cleaned it up later. 
I also used my new Miracle Blade chopper, and didn't cut myself, not once.
I tossed the vegetables into the cold noodles and then I dressed them.
I wanted them to be pretty.

They were going to a party after all.

I whisked together some rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sesame seed oil, and then added a little hot sesame oil for kicks.

Recipe:  Soba Noodle Salad

1 package Soba Noodles, cooked and cooled
1 bunch green onions, sliced into strips
1 carrot cut into matchsticks
1/2 Red Pepper, cut into strips
4 oz. snow peas

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seed Oil
1-2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. Hot Sesame Oil (or to taste)

Whisk together and pour over the noodles and vegetables, toss together and taste.  Then put them all into a sealed container and let them rest for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Soba Noodles
After one hour, toss again to make sure all the sesame goodness is distributed evenly.

I liked the 'kick' the Hot Sesame Oil gave the salad.  And after tasting, I didn't think that I needed to mess around with any other seasonings.
Soba Noodle

In fact, there was hardly any salad left after Tapas.

I will make this again, but the next time, I'll separate the noodles before dumping the whole package into the boiling water.  And I think that some Bok Choy might just find their way in as well as some Napa Cabbage?



Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to drop me a note, let me know if you like something I made, it makes my day.