It's been quite hot here lately, and I've been trying to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. We get the afternoon and evening sun in our kitchen and living room, and as we don't have air conditioning, even turning on a burner on the stove is too much to bear.
I was rummaging thru the pantry, looking for something for dinner that required little or no cooking. At the back I found a package of Soba noodles that I vaguely remembered buying earlier this year. I've never had Soba noodles before, and after I bought them I wasn't really sure what to do with them. I thought I'd look them up on the Internet and then I forgot all about them.
Soba noodles are Japanese and made with Buckwheat flour. Because of the flour they have a sort of brown-grey color to them. My package contained 5 bundles of Soba.
Soba noodles are Japanese and made with Buckwheat flour. Because of the flour they have a sort of brown-grey color to them. My package contained 5 bundles of Soba.
Aren't they pretty? I looked online and saw a lot of recipes for cold noodle salads. I had also just rediscovered a bottle of sweet and spicy peanut sauce in the pantry as well, so I got cooking.
I used 3 bundles of noodles and cooked them in boiling water for 5 minutes. The noodles were drained and rinsed with cold water. I let them sit to drain again while I sliced a red pepper into thin strips and chopped up 4 green onions. I tossed the noodles and veggies in a bowl and added about 1/4 of a cup of sauce. The bowl went into the fridge for an hour or so until dinner. Then I re-tossed the noodles and added a couple more spoons of sauce.
I used 3 bundles of noodles and cooked them in boiling water for 5 minutes. The noodles were drained and rinsed with cold water. I let them sit to drain again while I sliced a red pepper into thin strips and chopped up 4 green onions. I tossed the noodles and veggies in a bowl and added about 1/4 of a cup of sauce. The bowl went into the fridge for an hour or so until dinner. Then I re-tossed the noodles and added a couple more spoons of sauce.
This salad was wonderful. The only way I can think to describe these noodles is silky. The short amount of cooking time kept the kitchen somewhat cooler and the cold noodles were a very refreshing dinner. We'll be using these noodles again soon I am sure.
Ruth, I am sending this cold salad your way for Presto Pasta Nights. Hope you guys out East are staying cool. If not, go get some Soba!
Ruth, I am sending this cold salad your way for Presto Pasta Nights. Hope you guys out East are staying cool. If not, go get some Soba!
11 comments:
Looks lovely, I actually made a soba noodle salad the other week for the exact same reasons. Darn heat!
The soba salad does look lovely and it finally is warming up out here. My daughter and I spent the last couple of days swimming in the lake and lounging on the dock. What a life!
Thanks for sharing a great dish with Presto Pasta Nights and don't forget to check back for the roundup on Friday.
A lovely noodle dish. Beautifully colorful!
Soba noodles are wonderful and I like your simple and summer cool idea Sara.
I was not a fan of soba in the past but recently, I LOVE this noodle so much! It's got a nutty taste to it too, very light though. Welcome to soba association...hahah! :D
I'm not a Japanese so I don't use soba the typical Japanese way but because of that, I find soba can add lots of tasty variations to chinese noodle dishes and even simple salad dish like yours.
I've never tried them either. Now I'm tempted- the salad looks great!
katerina - I'm glad I've discovered them, hot weather or not they are wonderful.
ruth - glad to hear your weather is improving, thanks for hosting ppn.
meeta - thank you!
tanna - thank you too!
tf - glad to be part of the soba lovers now!
annie - hope you try soba, it's great.
I love soba noodles so much. Thanks for this - it reminds me I have 4 more packages in the basement and you're right, this really is the perfect weather for them!
I bought a package of them too and haven't used them.. what a great idea for them! The salad looks fabulous and I so love how quick it was to prepare!
xoxo
The NY Times just published in their Dining & Wine section a list of 101 simple meals for the summer that "won't heat you out of the house", as they say.
Oooh, soba noodles. I haven't made any in ages. Hope all is well with you and Scott :) I haven't been online much this month.
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