Soda noodle salad recipe ideas are great if you want to rustle up an easy Asian lunch. I love all kinds of noodles but soba are my favorite. The word ‘soba’ means ‘buckwheat’ in Japanese and it also refers to thin, buckwheat noodles. Try a new recipe for soba noodles and you’ll be sure to love the flavor and texture they add to your dish.
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How to Serve Soba Noodles
In Japan the word refers to any thin noodles. These can be served hot or cold, with a dipping sauce or in soup or you could make a cold soba noodle salad recipe. Buckwheat can be harvested 4 times a year because it takes 3 months to reach maturity and be ready for harvesting.
Soba noodles are sold at railway stations in Japan, and they also feature on the menus in high-end restaurants, making them a versatile component in a variety of dishes, not just easy soba salad recipes.
Soba noodles are often drained and chilled in the summer, or served hot with a soy dashi broth in the colder months. Easy soba salad is a popular summertime treat. They might be served with soba tsuyu, a type of dipping sauce, on the side, and maybe bits of dried nori seaweed on top. Yaki soba sauce is also delicious and authentic.
How to Eat Soba Noodles in a Soba Noodle Salad Recipe
The diner will use chopsticks to pick up some noodles and dip them in the sauce. Green onions and wasabi might be mixed into the sauce. Hot broth changes their consistency, which is why a lot of people prefer to have them cold. In Japan, the water in which the noodles were cooked is often drunk after the noodles have been eaten, with the leftover sauce mixed in for flavor.
In the following Japanese noodle salad recipe we are combining tasty fresh salad ingredients with soba noodles, then adding a sesame dressing to tie it all together. My current favorite Asian dressing is Kewpie Roasted Sesame Dressing which is wonderful with any kind of Asian influenced salad.
Soba Noodle Salad Recipe: How to Cook Soba Noodles
OK, now let’s find out how to cook the noodles for your soba noodles salad. Bring a pot of water to a boil (you don’t need to add salt) then add the soba noodles and stir to ensure they are all covered in water. Bring the water back to a boil then turn it down to a simmer. Cook them for 5 to 8 minutes or whatever it says on the package.
Now check one noodle for doneness. It should be al dente rather than too soft. Drain the noodles in a colander, then rinse with cold running water until cold. 
Rub them with your hands while the water is running over them. This helps wash off any excess starch to stop the soba noodles turning gummy. Drain them again.
I like to make an easy soba salad when I am working from home because it doesn’t take long to prepare and I can throw in any salad ingredients I happen to have to hand.
How Many Soba Noodles per Person?
When making a soba noodle salad recipe you don’t have to be exact with amounts and quantities. To be honest, I just eyeball the quantities and usually get it right when making easy soba salad. If there are any leftover noodles they will keep for a couple of days in a covered container and you can toss them into a future salad or even a broth. If you are going to put them in broth though, add them right at the end, else they will overcook and go mushy, and you certainly don’t want that. Count on about 2 ounces (60g) per person though, to give you an idea.
Feel free to tweak this soba noodle salad recipe. Perhaps you have some other Asian salad ingredients to throw in or even some non-Asian ones. Why not throw in some mozzarella or avocado for a fusion meal? Another idea is to add cooked chicken or shrimp to make the soba noodle salad more filling.
PrintCold Soba Noodle Salad Recipe
As far as Asian salad recipes go, this one is a real winner. Make this soba noodle salad recipe in just a few minutes and enjoy those wonderful Japanese flavors. Feel free to change the ingredients to use up what you have.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- Raw soba noodles
- Shelled edamame beans
- Grated carrot
- Sliced cucumber
- Cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Chopped peanuts (optional)
- Kewpie Roasted Sesame Dressing (or similar)
Instructions
- Cook the soba noodles following the instructions on the package (or, if needed, my instructions above).
- Drain them well.
- Now toss with edamame, grated carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and chopped peanuts (if using).
- Drizzle over some dressing and serve.
Notes
Use your judgment as to the quantities you use. I usually make a soba noodle salad recipe just for myself when I am working from home, but you can use more if you’re feeding a crowd.
Keywords: soba noodle salad recipe, cold soba noodle salad, how to cook soba noodles, soba salad recipe
