Easy Cold Soba Noodles Salad Recipe

This Soba Noodles Salad is super easy & quick recipe to make. When tossed in Home-made Asian Salad Dressing, it is so delectable and delightful in taste. Addition of crispy vegetables make this salad very desirable. VIDEO ATTACHED.

Easy Cold Soba Noodles Salad Recipe with Asian Dressing – Vegan

Actually you can enjoy this salad cold or at the room temperature. Since this is an easy and quick recipe to make, it is perfect for quick meals, easy lunches, picnic lunches, or even work lunches. 

I think that is the beauty of the cold recipes. You do not have to heat it. And there is probably only 1 or 2 ingredient that needs cooking. That too can be done beforehand. Therefore when the time comes, you just add everything to the bowl. Toss, Toss & Toss.

Normally I love making my Salad Dressings at home. And this ASIAN SALAD DRESSING is stupendously easy. It is flavored with ginger and sweetened with honey. Just add all the ingredients and shake shake shake. Done.

Another beautiful thing about the salads is their CRUNCH & CRISPINESS because of the addition of raw uncooked salad vegetables. And this salad is full of the beautiful textures and flavors. I love adding nuts to my salads and hence I added peanuts and cashews to it. YUM YUM YUM!!

Have you checked our other VEGETARIAN ASIAN RECIPES? Check these out – Chopped Asian Salad, Teriyaki Noodles, Air Fryer Tofu in Asian Sauce, General Tso’s Meatballs, Garlic Noodles, Dan Dan Noodles and many more.

What are SOBA NOODLES?

[Resource – here]

Soba is a thin Japanese Noodle made with buckwheat (not wheat). These noodles are either served chilled with a dipping sauce or hot in a noodle soup. 

Soba can nutritionally complement other grains like white rice and wheat flour. Thiamine, missing from white rice, is present in soba. Soba contains all nine essential amino acids including lysine, which is lacking in wheat flour. 

It is part of the traditional Japanese diet and can be served in a variety of dishes.

Are Soba Noodles Gluten-free?

These noodles come in variation. There is a variety that is hand-made with only buckwheat. And then there is another variety that is made with a combination of buckwheat and whole wheat.

Therefore read the ingredients at the back of the packet when making a purchase. Even if it says contains buckwheat, it might refer at the bottom of the ingredients “may contain wheat”.

How to purchase Soba Noodles?

Although there are tons of recipes that can tell you how to make these at home, I still prefer to buy these from the market. 

I have been purchasing these from my local grocery store – Giant Eagle. Whole foods carry it. Your local Asian Store will carry it too. Have not seen these at Walmart or Target. And then you can buy Soba Noodles from AMAZON.

How to Cook Soba Noodles?

Soba Noodles are very starchy. Since they become lumpy after 30 minutes of cooking, you are supposed to cook them right before eating.

One can cook these either in INSTANT POT or GAS TOP. I cooked these in my 6 quart Instant Pot.

Wash the hot cooked Soba Noodles under cold running water before adding to the salad. Once these are tossed in dressing, they stay fine. 

These noodles can be used in both cold as well as hot recipes. 

Ingredients

Soba Noodles

Salad Add Ons – Shredded or thinly sliced vegetables like carrots, red cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, cilantro, green onions (scallions), 

Toppings – Roasted Cashews and Roasted Peanuts

Asian Salad Dressing Ingredients – Distilled Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Honey, Sesame Oil, Ginger, Sesame Seeds, Lime Juice

Kitchen Gadgets 

Instant Pot or Large Sauce Pan

Inner Pot

Kitchen Colander

Mixing Bowl

Small Whisk

Chopping board and Knife

Measuring Cups & Spoon

Salad Tongs

Small Dressing Jar

 

 

Asian Salad Dressing

There are so many recipes online for Asian Salad Dressing. Some use Peanut butter like the one I have used in my Dan Dan Noodles Recipe and some are simple like this one. You can use any store bought dressing too. But I like making my own SALAD DRESSINGS at home. 

There is no cooking involved. Just mix all the ingredients in a small jar (with lid) and shake vigorously till combined. That’s it.

What else can I use instead of Soba Noodles?

Although the recipe calls for Soba Noodles, but you can use any kind of noodles for this recipe. Even Spaghetti will work so well.

Can I use regular sugar in place of Honey?

Yes absolutely you can. Replace with the same amount of sugar. You can use brown sugar. You can also use agave nectar or a sweetener of your choice.

What can I use to replace Soy Sauce?

You can substitute soy sauce with either Tamari Sauce or Amino Liquids.

What kind of Vinegar is used in the Asian Salad Dressing?

Rice Vinegar is the best choice for this Salad Dressing. Since it is impossible to keep all the ingredients handy, you can easily use DISTILLED VINEGAR for the recipe. 

Can I skip the Sesame seed Oil in the recipe?

Yes you can. Sesame seed oil adds nice sheen to the dressing. But you can skip it.

Can I make this Salad ahead of time?

Yes you can. Put the whole salad together and mix it well. Make sure to add enough Salad Dressing to drench it all. Then you can refrigerate it. It will stay good for 1-2 days. 

Can I cook the noodles ahead of time for this recipe?

I wouldn’t advise that. These noodles become very lumpy after a while even after a lot of washing under the cold water. The best way is to put the whole salad together and refrigerate.

What kind of vegetables to use?

For Asian Salads, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, scallions and broccoli can be used. I take a shortcut and use pre-made salad bags from the grocery store. Just empty the whole bag in the bowl and done. No cutting needed. But you can use the vegetables of your choice and shred or thinly slice them to use in the salad.

How to make Cold Soba Noodles Salad?

It is a fairly simple recipe. WATCH THE VIDEO ATTACHED for more clarity.

Cook the SOBA NOODLES in Instant Pot or Gas Top in a Sauce Pan

I love using my INSTANT POT for all my meal prep. Therefore I cooked my Soba Noodles in Instant Pot . Place the noodles in IP inner pot in a fanned out or criss cross pattern. Add 5-6 cups of water to submerge the noodles in the water. Press the noodles down. Pressure cook on HIGH for 2 minutes and do a QPR. 

The back of my soba noodles packet said to cook for 6 minutes on gas top. Normally it is half the time in IP and then QPR. I did 2 minutes to get “al-dente” texture for salad.

After the QPR, open the lid. Take the inner pot to the sink and wash the noodles under the running cold water. Work on the noodles with Salad Tongs while washing. Keep separating them with tongs to wash away the maximum amount of starch from it. 

Now transfer in large colander and wash more as needed. Make sure to get rid of as much starch as possible. 

After that let them cool down completely to the room temperature.

Cook Soba Noodles on GAS TOP

Follow the instructions as the back of the package to these Soba Noodles in a Large Sauce Pan. After cooking, wash these under the cold running water till all the starch is washed off.

Prepare the Vegetables

Meanwhile the noodles are cooking, work on your vegetables. If you are not using the packaged salad bag, then work on the vegetables. Shred them with a vegetable shredder or cut them thin to match the thickness of the noodles. Slice the cucumbers thin like matchsticks, about 3 inches long. Chop the scallions with white an green both. Finely chop the cilantro. Mix them all and set aside.

Prepare the ASIAN SALAD DRESSING

Take a small mason jar and add Distilled Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Honey, Sesame Oil, Ginger, Sesame Seeds, and Lime Juice to it. Close the lid. Shake shake Shake till all the ingredients incorporate well. Dressing is ready.

MIX IT ALL

Take a large Mixing Bowl. Add cold (room temperature) noodles, chopped up vegetables, and roasted cashews + Roasted Peanuts. Pour the Asian salad dressing generously. Toss Toss Toss with Salad Tongs till dressing covers the noodles. You can serve these immediately or refrigerate.

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Recipe Video

How to make Soba Noodles Salad?

I am sure you are going to make this recipe soon. Please leave your feedback in the comments section.

Thanks,

Sonal