food 4 tots

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

16 September 2013 | 18 comments
Posted in Featured Articles, Japanese, noodles, One-dish meal, salad

cold soba, soba, noodle, salad, Japanese noodle, toddler, food 4 tots

Recipe for Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Serve: 3-4

Ingredients for salad:
160g dry soba noodles (note 1)
1 poached chicken breast, about 150g  (note 2)
2 eggs (made into thin omelette, shredded finely)
1 Japanese cucumber (rinsed, deseeded and cut into julienne strips)
One quarter of a small red cabbage, about 25g (shredded finely)

Ingredients for salad dressing:
6 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar/ castor sugar/ honey (add one more tablespoon if you want it sweeter)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons sesame seed (note 3) + extra for tossing
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons salad oil
Pepper

Methods:

  1. Prepare all the ingredients for salad. Keep in the fridge to chill.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for salad dressing until smooth (If you are not using it right away, refrigerate it.). Taste and adjust seasoning.
  3. Pour over the noodle salads. Toss to combine well. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Serve.

Notes:

  1. How to cook soba noodles – Fill a large pot with plenty of water and bring it to the boil. Add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions. It usually takes about 6-8 minutes. Take a strand to eat. It should be cooked through. When cooked, drain the noodles into a coriander and immediately transfer to a pot of cold water. Start to “wash” the noodles. Grab a handful, swish and rub them in the water to get rid of the starchiness. Then, return the noodles to the coriander and rinse with in cold water, ensuring that the noodles are well separated. Drain and shake off as much water as possible. Toss the noodles with a little sesame oil or salad oil if not using right away. Refrigerate them while you prepare other ingredients.
  2. How to poach and shred chicken – Wash the chicken breast. Rinse and pat dry. Lightly season chicken breast with salt and pepper. In a medium pot, add the chicken breasts and fill with water or broth one inch above the chicken. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring the pot to boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Skim off any foam that rises. Cover partially and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and cover with lid. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and shred the meat with fingers.
  3. How to toast and ground sesame seeds – In a frying pan, dry fry seeds (without oil) over a medium low heat until they are fragrant and turn golden brown. Once it’s done, remove from the pan and let it cool down. Put toasted sesame seeds into a food blender to grind until powdery. Make more so that you can sprinkle some on the salad when serving.
  4. You can prepare the ingredients and salad dressing one day ahead and store them in the refrigerator.
  5. You can enjoy this noodle salad either chilled or at room temperature.
  6. If you love hot and spicy food, add some wasabi paste to the salad dressing.

cold soba, soba, noodle, salad, Japanese noodle, toddler, food 4 tots

cold soba, soba, noodle, salad, Japanese noodle, toddler, food 4 tots
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18 Comments

  1. Ling says:
    16 September 2013 at 11:51 pm

    I can almost taste the goodness just by looking at your fantastic photos! 🙂 I can never get enough of sesame. Thanks for taking time to share again!

    Reply
  2. tigerfish says:
    17 September 2013 at 12:51 am

    I think what takes most time is how finely the ingredients have to be sliced 😛 love a cold soba noodle salad like this.

    Reply
  3. Alice says:
    17 September 2013 at 8:31 am

    Lovely! A great idea for a simple lunch and healthy too! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Nammi says:
    20 September 2013 at 1:28 pm

    HI!!!! I havent visited you for ages 🙂 , love the new changes to your site!!!. Got a fussy eater now so looking for inspiration 🙂 . have a nice week end

    Reply
  5. Christine's Recipes says:
    28 September 2013 at 9:39 pm

    The second photo is an art. Lovely !

    Reply
  6. ChristineT says:
    5 October 2013 at 4:45 pm

    I can imagine how good the soba tastes by looking at your recipe Well…it’s time to do some shopping at my favourite Japanese store. Just out of curiosity, what type of frying pan do you have in your photos? How many adult servings can you make with a packet of soba?

    Reply
  7. ChristineT says:
    5 October 2013 at 4:49 pm

    Opps…I just realised that you do have the number of servings stated in your recipe. Sorry.

    Reply
  8. mummy tan says:
    28 June 2014 at 1:50 pm

    school is starting and dropping by to get some ideas for new lunch menu 🙂

    This is a keeper for my new lunch menu.

    Reply
  9. mummy Tan says:
    9 July 2014 at 11:23 am

    The kids enjoyed it too. The weather was so hot during the first wk of school, this dish was a nice cooling lunch.

    I’m going to try the cauliflower recipe tomorrow. The kids prefer broccoli too, so hopping the recipe will change their minds heehee.

    Reply

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