Make this Soba Noodle Salad with fresh veggies, sesame seeds, and savory mentsuyu sauce. A refreshing and flavorful Japanese-inspired dish perfect for warm days.
It’s September, but the weather is still quite warm where I live. During these warm days, this Soba Noodle Salad is one of my go-to meals when I want something easy, light, healthy, and full of texture. With chewy soba noodles, plenty of fresh veggies, and savory mentsuyu, it comes together quickly and tastes even better with your favorite toppings.
Healthy and Satisfying Salad with Soba Noodles
Soba is traditional Japanese buckwheat noodles known for their earthy flavor and light texture. Buckwheat is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and soba typically has fewer calories than whole wheat pasta.
Most soba noodles today are made with a blend of buckwheat flour, wheat flour and mountain yam to create smooth, silky texture. Soba made with 100% buckwheat, on the other hand has more grainy, crumbly texture.
You can find variety of soba noodles on amazon, at Japanese grocery stores or in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Ingredients for this Salad
- Soba noodles – 6 ounces or (about 180 grams)
- Arugula
- Carrot – peeled and shredded
- English cucumber – cut into matchsticks
- Cherry tomatoes – halved
- Avocado
- Green onions – green part only, chopped
- Sesame oil – to coat cooked soba noodles
- Salt
- Mentsuyu – soba noodle sauce
- Sesame seeds
- Soft boiled eggs – halved lengthwise, optional topping
Mentsuyu, Japanese Soba Noodle Sauce
Mentsuyu is a traditional Japanese noodle sauce used for dipping cold soba noodles. It’s packed with umami and has salty, sweet and earthy flavors from dried bonito flakes and konbu (sea kelp). Mentsuyu is incredible versatile, you can use it as a marinade, a stir-fry sauce or dressing for grilled meats, fish or veggies.
Mentsuyu is simple to make at home, which is why I always keep a jar of it in my fridge. You only need four ingredients:
- Soy Sauce
- Mirin – Japanese sweet rice wine
- Kombu (Sea kelp)
- Dried bonito flakes – One individual packet or 2 tablespoons.
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer for 4-5 minutes. Let it cool completely, then transfer the sauce, along with the kombu and bonito flakes to an airtight jar. It will keep for up to a month in the fridge.
If you prefer, you can purchase a bottle of this yummy sauce from amazon, Japanese grocery stores or the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Tips for Great Results
- Do not overcook soba noodles. They cook much faster than pasta, usually within 5-6 minutes.
- Rinse cooked noodles under cold water to remove excess starch.
- Toss noodles with ½ teaspoon sesame oil to prevent them from clumping or sticking together.
- Once all ingredients are combined, serve and enjoy immediately. Soba is delicate and can become mushy if left to sit too long.
Variations of Soba Noodle Salad
Serve your soba noodle salad in individual plates or pasta bowls. For reference, I served mine in Spode plates from the Victorian collection. A lovely series within the famous Blue Room collection, these Spode plates are among my favorites in my china cupboard.
Soba noodles are wonderfully versatile, and you can easily create variations with other ingredients such as:
- Shredded red cabbage
- Thinly sliced watermelon radish
- Baby spinach
- Roasted peppers
- Edamame
For toppings, I made soft boiled eggs, but you can also try:
- Shredded chicken
- Roasted pork
- Grilled shrimp
- Fried tofu
- Crumbled seaweed
More Delicious and Satisfying Salad Recipes
- Hearty Fall Main Dish Salad
- Tangy Carrot-Tuna Salad
- Poached Salmon Salad
- Creamy Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Asparagus Orzo Salad
Soba Noodle Salad with Mentsuyu
Ingredients
Mentsuyu (Soba noodle sauce)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ⅔ cup mirin
- 1 (4-inch) piece of dried kombu (sea kelp)
- 1 packet bonito flakes or 2 tbsp.
Soba Noodle Salad
- 6 ounces soba noodles
- 6 cups arugula loosely packed
- 1 carrot peeled and shredded
- ½ english cucumber cut in matchsticks
- 1.5 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large avocado
- 4 green onions (green part only) chopped
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup mentsuyu
- ¼ cup ground sesame seeds
- salt to taste
- soft boiled eggs halved lengthwise for topping (optional)
Instructions
Mentsuyu
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine soy sauce, mirin, kombu, and bonito flakes.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool in the pan.
- Once cooled, transfer the sauce along with the kombu and bonito flakes for added flavor to an airtight jar.
- Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Soba noodle salad
- Place arugula, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green onions in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
- Bring medium pot to a boil and add salt. Cook soba noodles for 5-6 minutes or according to package instructions.
- Drain and rinse noodles under cold running water to remove excess starch. Shake off excess water (or gently pat dry with paper towels), then toss noodles with sesame oil to keep them from sticking. Add the noodles to the bowl with vegetables.
- Cut avocado in half, remove the pit, slice in a grid pattern, and scoop out the cubes. Add to the bowl.
- Add mentsuyu, sesame seeds, and salt to taste. Toss everything together until well combined.
- Divide salad into individual bowls or plates and top with soft-boiled egg halves, if desired. Serve immediately.