Peanut Soba Noodle Bowl
By the Gracious Vegan
This tasty noodle bowl contains no oil, meaning it’s healthy and lower in calories than most noodle recipes. The simple sauce packs a ton of flavor, and the variety of textures from the noodles to the vegetables (cooked and raw) makes for a dish that satisfies. I like using spring vegetables (asparagus and peas), but many combinations of vegetables would work. If you haven’t cooked buckwheat soba noodles before, please read the directions carefully, and check out the notes at the end, too.
Makes 3-4 servings (note: only make as much as you can eat right away)
Make the sauce. Whisk together the following ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons creamy unsalted peanut butter
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar or white distilled vinegar)
2 teaspoons roasted sesame paste (or sesame oil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Cook the soba noodles. Note that cooking soba noodles is different from cooking regular pasta. They can be gummier and can stick together more.
Bring a large pot of water (larger than for regular pasta) to a rapid boil. Add noodles and spread them apart from each other with tongs or other tool. Cook for only 2.5 - 3 minutes.
6 ounces soba noodles (2 sleeves from a traditional pack of 3 sleeves)
Immediately scoop the noodles out of the boiling water (or drain in a colander) and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water. After the noodles are cooled (about a minute), drain them (or scoop them out) and spread them out on a few paper towels or a clean cloth towel.
Vegetables and sauce. Add the following ingredients to a large (12” or larger) skillet, a Dutch oven, or other large pan and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes until just tender.
8 ounces asparagus (about 1/2 of a bunch), sliced into 1-2” pieces
1 cup frozen green peas or frozen shelled edamame, or 1.5 cups (about 6 ounces) 1” slices of raw sugar snap peas
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (add more if the pan dries up)
When the vegetables are tender, add the following components, stir them together gently, and turn up the heat so everything heats quickly. Serve immediately.
The soba noodles
The sauce
1 bunch (6-8) scallions (green onions), sliced
Optional garnishes:
Radish slices
Shredded red cabbage
Roasted sesame seeds
Cilantro leaves
Note 1: Be sure to have all the vegetables and garnishes chopped and prepped before you cook the noodles. It’s best to time everything so that the noodles are cooked close to the time they are added to the final stir.
Note 2: It can be difficult to find 100% buckwheat (gluten-free) noodles. Many soba noodles contain wheat. This is fine unless you are gluten-free.
Note 3: You can use other noodles or pasta. Just cook them according to package directions and add them the same way the cooked soba noodles are added above.
Note 4: I find that a spider spoon strainer works well to scoop the noodles out of the water.
Timing: About 20 minutes
Gluten-free