Sesame-Ginger and Cucumber Soba Noodles
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Japanese
Soba noodles tossed with cucumber, scallions and a light yet creamy sesame-ginger-tahini sauce. This would be a great vegan potluck dish, but note that it is best when served promptly, as the salt will draw out the water from the cucumbers and dilute the flavors. It can be gluten-free if you buy gluten-free soba noodles, soy sauce and miso.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces soba noodles (about 2 bundles) or spaghetti noodles of choice
- 1 large or 2 small English cucumbers
- 1 bunch scallions (green onions), chopped (about 3/4 cup chopped)
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon white miso (optional)
- 2 teaspoons reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (preferably black)
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the soba noodles until al dente, according to package directions (do not overcook them!). Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Use a chef’s knife, or better yet, a julienne peeler, to slice the cucumber into long, skinny strips. Toss the super seedy inside strips. Then you can slice the remainder into 3-inch long strips (as shown) or leave them long.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, rice vinegar, ginger, miso, tamari/soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro and red pepper flakes. Once blended, whisk in water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Toss the soba noodles in the sesame-ginger sauce (depending on how saucy you like your noodles, you may have some sauce left over). Toss in the cucumber strips, scallions, sesame seeds and extra cilantro if desired. Season to taste with salt or additional tamari until the flavors really sing. Serve immediately.
Notes
Suggested equipment: Two tools worth owning: a Microplane for finely grating ginger (and citrus zest, chocolate, and Parmesan), and a julienne peeler for slicing long strips of cucumber (and apples, shoestring potatoes, etc.).
On leftovers: If your leftovers are watery, blame the cucumbers. Pour off some of the extra liquid and punch up the flavor with a light drizzle of sesame sauce and tamari/soy sauce. Leftover sesame-ginger sauce would make a light vegetable dip for carrots and bell pepper strips.
Freeze it: If you have leftover ginger, freeze it whole. When you’re ready to grate it for a dish, pull off a frozen chunk and grate it against a Microplane. No need to peel it, as the skin will stay on the top side of the Microplane.
Change it up: Spice up this dish with chili garlic sauce or sriracha if you’d like.
▸ Nutrition Information
Recipe from Cookie and Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/sesame-ginger-and-cucumber-soba-noodles/