Soba Noodle Salad in a Spicy Peanut Sauce. A fresh main dish salad. Soba noodles are a healthy alternative to wheat noodles and make for a yummy quick meal.
I'm not sure what I like better... the salad or the sauce.
Probably the sauce.
But noodles in my salad make me so happy.
This soba noodle and vegetable salad fills all my salad-for-dinner requirements. It's healthy, filling and the spicy peanut sauce is just so full of flavour. I made a second batch of the peanut sauce so I could dip my veggies in it for lunch all week.
Raw sweet potatoes are a thing I want to bring to your attention. Raw sweet potatoes make this salad sing. They are fresh and sweet. And when shredded like this are so good in this salad.
For texture, I have shredded some veggies, sliced or diced others. I've left the peppers kinda big. All this adds texture and dimension, and I love that.
So many veggies will work with soba noodles
The nice thing about meals like this is that they are flexible. You can mix up the veggies here to use what you have on hand.
Things you can swap in shredded carrot, sliced snow peas, sliced cucumber or daikon radish. Smoked tofu or shelled edamame beans could be nice additions for a little bit of protein.
How to cook Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are a Japenese style noodle that can usually be found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores.
Soba noodles are often considered a healthier choice than wheat pasta as they are made from buckwheat instead of wheat. They are higher in fiber and lower in calories than wheat pasta.
Soba noodles are not always gluten-free. Just be sure to check the label carefully. Buckwheat flour is gluten-free, but some brands might use some wheat flour in their products. So read the labels if this is important to you.
Soba noodles cook faster than wheat noodles -- approximately 3-4 minutes in boiling water. But they do need to be rinsed well in cold water to stop the cooking process and keep them from getting mushy.
Rinsing soba noodles also removes the extra starch so they will work well in dishes like this and prevents them from sticking together.
If you can't find Soba, feel free to substitute whole wheat spaghetti. However, you will want to rinse it as well before tossing in this salad. It's not quite the same but it will work in a pinch.
I love this salad in a packed lunch. Pack lettuce, noodles, and veggies together in a container that will hold at least 2 cups. In another small container, pack about 2 tablespoons of sauce. Pour sauce over salad just before serving.
You can find soba noodles here...
Here is how you make this soba noodle salad.
Spicy Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- ½ lb soba noodles cooked to package directions and rinsed in cool water
- 6 cups shredded lettuce romaine or ice berg
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups grated raw sweet potato
- 1 red or green sweet pepper thinly sliced half of each is nice for colour
- 1 cup thinly sliced radish
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- ½ cup torn fresh basil, mint and cilantro leaves
- chopped peanuts (optional)
Spicy Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 1-½ tablespoon minced gingerroot
- 3 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos
- 3 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1-½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon red chili paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse under cool water to remove starch and stop cooking
- Combing peanut sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Combine lettuce and cabbage and arrange on the bottom of a serving platter. Top with noodles and arrange vegetables on top. I like to place them in little piles on top so you can see each of the vegetables individually. Drizzle sauce over salad and top with chopped peanuts if using. Serve, letting eveyone take what they want. Alternatively, give the salad a good toss before serving.
Notes
In case you are looking for soba noodles, you can find them in the Asian section of most supermarkets:
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