Serve up Some Soba!

Most of us are in the habit of keeping a box or two of pasta in the pantry. When you add soba to the selection, you can expand your repertoire and always have the makings of delicious easy cold salads, stir frys, and soups.

Take a minute to watch this video, which provides a look at soba in Japan:                        

Soba is the Japanese name of buckwheat, and traditionally, thin soba noodles are made from this nutritious plant, technically not a grain at all and not a form of wheat. Check the labels carefully when shopping for soba: Some food companies use the word buckwheat on packages of soba, but include wheat in the ingredients. Many of these wheat-buckwheat noodles will do the job, but if you’re looking for a gluten-free product and a distinctive nutty flavor, make sure to buy 100% buckwheat. (Several companies sell 100% buckwheat soba online.) Experiment with different brands to and your favorites. Some include yam flour along with wheat flour.

Soba is very easy to cook. An important first step is to put a large bowl of cold water in your sink or next to your sink and put a large strainer in your sink. (Soba can slip through a colander.) Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, drop in the soba, and cook, stirring several times, according to the package directions.  If you’re a soba newbie, taste for doneness continually after a few minutes. You want the noodles to be cooked, but still have some texture. Drain the noodles in a large strainer and immediately dump them into the bowl of cold water. Swish them around and drain again. (If you omit the cold water bath they can stick together.) Now they’re ready to slurp  with a dipping sauce, or add to a salad, stir fry, or  soup.

To learn more about soba and try your hand at making it from scratch, see The Book of Soba by James Udesky.

Upland Soba Salad
Heres’ a quick salad you can make in minutes.  Add or substitute lightly cooked broccolini or mushrooms.

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 cup minced baby spinach or kale
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 8-ounce package soba

Make the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, ginger, and rice vinegar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Combine the spinach, edamame, and carrots in a large bowl.  Cook the soba according to the package directions, rinse in cold water, and drain well. Add the soba to the spinach mixture and toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Serves 6
 

–– Oldways Vegetarian Network