Delicious soba noodle salad made with buckwheat soba noodles, mango, red bell pepper, garlic, basil, mint, peanuts, lime and sesame oil.
Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord who prepared this fabulous salad for us the other day. Big, big hit. ~Elise
“Very tangy and sweet! With just enough crunch from the peanuts.”
“It’s so colorful and aromatic, you can just smell the mint and garlic!”
The compliments Elise and I praised this salad with are plentiful. Really, this is a wonderful spring and summer salad, with Asian inspiration.
What Are Soba Noodles?
Soba noodles, if you are not familiar with them, are thin Japanese noodles made with buckwheat flour, and are often served cold. Soba noodles can be found in the Asian aisle of many markets; they have a nice body to them and an earthy, old world taste.
In this noodle salad, the mango, mint, and various other flavors contrast and match well with each other, giving the whole salad a good balance.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.
Soba Noodle Salad Recipe
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
You can make this dish a few hours in advanced, or even the night before and let the soba chill and marinate, just be sure not to add the peanuts, mint and basil until just before serving.
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- Zest of one lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 6 ounces soba noodles
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small ripe mango, peeled and chopped into cubes
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mint
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted salted peanuts
Method
1 Make the dressing: Place the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the sugar and salt dissolve. Stir in the garlic and allow to cool. Add the lime juice, lime zest, and sesame oil and mix well.
2 Cook the noodles: Cook the noodles in salted water, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain and then rinse well under cool water. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and toss with the dressing.
3 Combine: Add the mango, bell pepper, basil and mint. Toss and plate. Serve with chopped peanuts sprinkled over the top.
Links:
Garlic soba noodles from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks
Cold soba noodles with dipping sauce, a traditional Japanese way to eat soba noodles, from Maki of Just Hungry
