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Garlic & Zest

Gourmet Cooking at Home!

Cold Soba Salad

Cold Soba Salad
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Cold Soba Salad is pretty much the easiest and most satisfying way to “cook” during these oppressively hot summer months.  If you can boil water, you can make this salad — and once you do, you’ll make it (or some version of it) again and again.

 

dry soba noodles, whisk, cilantro, vinaigrette

I was recently rooting around in the depths of my pantry, looking for inspiration when I found a package of soba noodles.   Have you ever worked with soba?  They’re a buckwheat noodle with a nutty flavor that cook in about 3 minutes.  Soba are delicious in hot soups but also fabulous when chilled, like in this Cold Soba Salad.

 

soba noodles in a bowl

Cook the noodles and rinse them well in cold water to stop the cooking and set aside.

 

julienned carrots and cucumber in a bowl.

You can use whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand, but the key is to slice them very thinly and if you’re using long vegetables, like cucumber, zucchini, carrots, or squash, try to slice them so they’re roughly the same size and shape as the noodles.  You can accomplish this several ways…

  1. Use a spiralizer.  (Duh!)
  2. Use a mandoline with  the julienne blade inserted (this is what I did).
  3. Use a  julienne “peeler”.
  4. Use a very sharp knife to slice thin planks of vegetable, then trim them into long noodle-like slices.

 

sesame seeds in a pan.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet for a few minutes (literally 2-3 minutes), just until they become fragrant and begin to turn golden.

 

Cold Soba Salad in a bowl.

Then toss everything together in a bowl.  I use a pair of tongs to make sure that the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing. 

 

Cold Soba Salad with sesame seeds

Don’t feel that you have to follow this recipe to a T.  Use whatever vegetables you have on hand.  Sugar snap peas or radishes would be great as would summer squash and/or a handful of fresh herbs, like mint or Thai basil.  Mix it up, you’ll never get bored.

 

Cold Soba Salad on a plate with chopsticks

In 92° heat, with a feels like temperature of 104° — yes 104°, we need more of this kind of “cooking,” don’t you agree?

 

Cold Soba Salad on two plates with chopsticks. Picking up Cold Soba Salad with chopsticks

 

Print Pin
5 from 7 votes

Cold Soba Salad

Crunchy vegetables and a tangy dressing make this noodle salad a crave-wrothy vegetarian meal!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian Inspired
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 136kcal

Ingredients

For Asian Vinaigrette:

  • 1/2 teaspoon lime zest freshly grated
  • 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2-3 limes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons asian sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sriracha pepper sauce or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro plus more for garnish, chopped

For Salad:

  • 8 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 large carrot peeled and sliced into long, thin noodles*
  • 1/2 English cucumber sliced into long, thin noodles*
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1/2 sweet bell pepper seeded, very thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions white and pale green parts, thinly sliced on a bias**
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

  • In a small bowl combine lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, sriracha. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add noodles and boil 3 minutes -- or according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water. Drain. Rinse again with cold water and drain. Set aside.
  • Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and cook stirring constantly, until they begin to get toasty and brown. Remove from heat to cool.
  • In a large bowl combine soba noodles, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, bell pepper,  and scallions. Add sauce and mix to combine.  Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and additional cilantro for garnish.

Notes

* there are several methods to make vegetable "noodles". If you have a spiralizer -- use it. A mandoline works well as well as a peeler with thin vertical blades built into the head. You can also use a very sharp knife, but it will be a more tedious process. In that case, just slice the vegetables as thin as possible crosswise.
**to slice on a bias, simply rotate your knife to a 45 degree angle and cut vegetables in thin strips.

Nutrition

Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1865IU | Vitamin C: 24.3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1.2mg

More Asian-Inspired Favorites:

Bulgogi Pork Belly Bao
Sweet Heat Asian Barbecued Shrimp Salad | Garlic + Zest
Sweet Heat Asian Barbecued Shrimp Salad
Asian Pork Dumplings
Asian Pork Dumplings

Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!

The best recipe for a hot day is this easy Cold Soba Salad with thinly sliced vegetables and an Asian-dressing that will fill you up & cool you off!

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Pasta// Salads// Vegan/Vegetarian15 Comments

« Calamari, Avocado and Grapefruit Bruschetta
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Herbed Spice Rub »

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    July 23, 2020 at 7:31 AM

    Omg this dressing is the bomb!!! I’ll definitely make this again for all kinds of salads in the future. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Agness of Run Agness Run says

    September 6, 2017 at 10:59 AM

    Such a tasty, easy and healthy salad recipe, Lisa! Is there any alternative to soy sauce?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      September 6, 2017 at 11:07 AM

      Tamari is a gluten free soy — don’t know if that’s the issue.

      Reply
  3. Jenn says

    July 26, 2017 at 7:34 PM

    I just saw this on Foodgawker. It’s beautiful with all the colorful veggies!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 26, 2017 at 7:54 PM

      LOL! I never get top billing on FoodGawker — that was a treat!

      Reply
  4. Patty @ Spoonabilities says

    July 26, 2017 at 7:18 PM

    This salad looks amazing! And the dressing…it sounds so delicious.

    Reply
  5. Kankana says

    July 26, 2017 at 6:50 PM

    Always ready for cold soba noodles 🙂

    Reply
  6. Christina | Christina's Cucina says

    July 26, 2017 at 6:14 PM

    Oh yes, this is JUST what the doctor ordered when the temps are soaring! So nutritious, to boot!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 26, 2017 at 7:53 PM

      Glad you like it, Christina!

      Reply
  7. Amanda says

    July 26, 2017 at 2:44 PM

    Soba is so delicious for cold salads! This sounds like the perfect light lunch or supper for out hot days.

    Reply
  8. Emily says

    July 26, 2017 at 2:35 PM

    Oh that salad dressing sounds incredible, I’ve never tried soba noodles before but they look great!

    Reply
  9. malou says

    November 25, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    Udon noodles are not the same as soba noodles. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat and are thinner than the udon in your recipe. They’re two very different things.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      November 25, 2014 at 12:22 PM

      I stand corrected! Thank you for the heads up!

      Reply
  10. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    October 22, 2014 at 6:44 PM

    I love eating soba noodles! Never made a cold pasta salad with them before – thanks for the great idea!

    Reply
  11. Nola says

    October 22, 2014 at 8:11 AM

    Love this!!!!

    Reply

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Meet Lisa

Lisa

Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

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