Recipe
Spicy Soba Noodle Salad
I was craving a cold noodle salad to go with seared ahi tuna and came up with this. It was sooo good! So were the leftovers. It is basically chilled noodles and raw veggies with a spicy vinaigrette. It was perfect with tuna last night and perfect without tuna for lunch today.
This was my first time using Soba noodles, and I must say, it will not be my last! If you are new to this variety of noodle, they are Japanese noodles made primarily from buckwheat. They have a lovely sort of nutty flavor.
Use whatever veggies sound good to you. I came across some baby Bok choy at Earth Fare and used that along with carrots, cucumbers, and peppers. Just cut everything into small enough pieces that it can be nicely incorporated into the noodles.
I used radishes, avocados, scallions, and jalapeños to garnish. And of course, adjust the spice level to your liking. I marked the hot stuff with an *.
Soba noodles tossed with veggies and vinaigrette and topped with avocado, radish, scallions, and thinly sliced serranos. Make it as hot or mild as you like. Shown with seared tuna, but excellent without it.
Ingredients for the Vinaigrette
Salad Vegetables
1 T avocado or olive oil
½ red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced into strips
2 T toasted sesame oil
4 baby Bok choy stalks, stalks thinly sliced and tops rolled and cut into ribbons
1-2 t chili garlic sauce*
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
¼ – ½ t red chili flakes (or a T of chili crunch)*
½ English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
¼ c soy sauce or liquid aminos
½ t smoked paprika
1 t fish sauce
Garnishes
2 t grated fresh ginger (or sub 1 t ground ginger)
½ avocado, diced
1 t minced fresh garlic (or sub 1 t garlic powder)
4-6 scallions sliced on the diagonal
1 t sugar
3-4 radishes, thinly sliced
½ jalapeño or serrano, thinly sliced or minced*
1 oz box of Soba noodles, cooked to al dente drained
Instructions
Step 1
Make the vinaigrette by putting everything in a small bowl and whisking.
Step 2
Cook the noodles. Boil a pot of water, salt it and add a splash of olive oil, then cook the Soba noodles according to directions until al dente. Drain, toss with a little of the vinaigrette to prevent clumping, then set aside to cool.
Step 3
While the noodles cook, prepare the salad veggies.
Step 4
Once the noodles are cool, add the veggies and vinaigrette and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 5
Right before serving, peel and dice the avocado, and slice the rest of the veggies you will use to garnish. Enjoy!
Spicy Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 1 oz box of Soba noodles cooked to al dente drained
Ingredients for the Vinaigrette
- 1 T avocado or olive oil
- 2 T toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 t chili garlic sauce*
- ¼ - ½ t red chili flakes or a T of chili crunch*
- ¼ c soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 t fish sauce
- 2 t grated fresh ginger or sub 1 t ground ginger
- 1 t minced fresh garlic or sub 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t sugar
Salad Vegetables
- ½ red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced into strips
- 4 baby Bok choy stalks stalks thinly sliced and tops rolled and cut into ribbons
- 1 large carrot peeled and grated
- ½ English cucumber quartered lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
Garnishes
- ½ avocado diced
- 4-6 scallions sliced on the diagonal
- 3-4 radishes thinly sliced
- ½ jalapeño or serrano thinly sliced or minced*
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette by putting everything in a small bowl and whisking.
- Cook the noodles. Boil a pot of water, salt it and add a splash of olive oil, then cook the Soba noodles according to directions until al dente. Drain, toss with a little of the vinaigrette to prevent clumping, then set aside to cool.
- While the noodles cook, prepare the salad veggies.
- Once the noodles are cool, add the veggies and vinaigrette and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Right before serving, peel and dice the avocado, and slice the rest of the veggies you will use to garnish. Enjoy!