Soba Noodle
2 recipes found
Bibimbap-Style Soba Noodle Salad
In this meal-prep friendly twist on bibimbap, the kaleidoscopic Korean mixed rice dish, simple vegetable sides seasoned with sesame oil or soy sauce (called namul) are served with nutty soba noodles, and lavishly tossed in a spicy-sweet gochujang dressing. Blanching is a great way to lock in the vibrant hues, distinct textures and fresh flavors of vegetables. While it’s a very simple process, it does require some precision to ensure optimal results: Season the blanching water generously, cook the vegetables briefly, and, after cooking, expel as much water as possible. The different vegetables and noodles are prepared separately, so they can be easily packed away individually, ready for assembling a quick weekday lunch or a future dinner. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. (Carrots, daikon, broccoli, kale and corn would also work well.) For extra heartiness, top with a fried egg.
Broccoli Soba Salad
Inspired by the flavors of crave-worthy yamitsuki, a Japanese cabbage dish named for its addictive qualities, this broccoli soba salad is an assured crowd pleaser. A brief marination in salt tenderizes the broccoli, making it more receptive to a humble yet powerful trio of seasonings: salt, garlic and sesame oil. The unlikely addition of vegetable stock paste or bouillon powder bolsters the emphatic umami of this dish; if you have MSG in your pantry, you could add a few pinches of that instead. Using both the flower and stalk of the broccoli adds both texture and crunch to the foundation of nutty soba noodles. This is the perfect prep-ahead dish, as it benefits from chilling to allow the flavors to meld and the soba to become firmer and less fragile.