Vegan Cold Sesame Soba With Chilli & Cucumber
Drawing inspiration from the Japanese tradition of cold noodle dishes, this vegan sesame soba noodle salad is cool, crisp, refreshing and filling – everything you could want on a hot summery day!
Late nights at work mean this vegan soba bowl is ticking all my boxes at the moment. Fresh, crunchy, quick (under 20 minutes), loads of veggies, 1 pot to wash up and it can be eaten cold between running errands. Made with 100% buckwheat noodles, it’s also gluten free!
The allure of a meal like this is you can use practically whatever produce you have on hand. For a variety of textures and flavors, I went with baby cucumbers, sesame seeds, spring onion, tenderstem broccoli (broccolini) and spring onion. I also think edamame beans, mange tout, and radish would work well, too. For an extra punch of protein throw in some tofu!
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this gluten-free?
This dish is gluten free! Enjoy!
Can I add meat to this?
While this is a vegan dish at its heart, you could certainly add some thinly-sliced and stir-fried beef, chicken or pork to this dish. Use your imagination!
Vegan Cold Sesame Soba With Chilli & Cucumber
- Total Time: 15 Minutes
- Yield: 1 Serving
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Drawing inspiration from the Japanese tradition of cold noodle dishes, this vegan sesame soba noodle salad is cool, crisp, refreshing and filling – everything you could want on a hot summery day!
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sriracha (or a similar Asian chilli sauce)
- 2 tablespoons soy
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a bit extra for the noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- honey or palm sugar – to taste (+/- 1/2 teaspoon to balance the acidity of the sauce)
Noodles
- +/- 85g gluten-free soba noodles (They usually come in convenient little bundles)
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 3 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced at an angle
- 65g tenderstem broccoli (aka broccolini)
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Prep all your ingredients as listed and pop a kettle of water on to boil.
- Mix together the dressing ingredients except for the palm sugar. Once the ingredients are combined add the palm sugar a little bit at a time until the sauce has a nice balance between sweet and sour (roughly 1/2 teaspoon depending on the size of your limes).
- Place a pot over medium/high heat and add the boiling water.
- Blanch the tenderstem until just starting to soften but still bright green in colour.
- Remove the tenderstem from the water with a slotted spoon and run them under cold water until cool, or alternatively, pop them into a bowl of iced water. This stops the cooking process and keeps the veggies crunchy and green!
- Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Once al dente, run the noodles under cold water and add a little sesame oil to stop them from sticking together.
- Toss the noodles through the dressing and place them into a serving bowl. Scatter over the drained tenderstem, sesame seeds, spring onions and chilli flakes.
This salad will taste better the longer it sits! However, keep the veggies separate if you plan on leaving them in the fridge for longer than a day.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 806.26kcal
- Sugar: 20.67g
- Sodium: 979.67mg
- Fat: 38.69g
- Saturated Fat: 5.62g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30.66g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 98.98g
- Fiber: 6.34g
- Protein: 26.54g
- Cholesterol: 0g
