This creamy miso soba noodle recipe is super quick to make and a delicious way to incorporate healthy soba into your diet!
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What are soba noodles
Soba are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour. They are usually dark brown in color, have a nutty flavor and a somewhat chewy texture.
Most soba available in major supermarkets is actually a mix of 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour.
This is because buckwheat is gluten free and difficult to form into noodles without the addition of a small amount of wheat flour.
Where to buy soba noodles
Dried packaged soba noodles can be found in well-stocked supermarkets, if not next to the ramen noodles then in the international food aisle.
You may also be able to find fresh soba noodles, as well as dried, in an Asian supermarket.
How to cook soba noodles
Be sure to check the package for specific instructions on how to cook the brand of soba noodles that you purchased.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Unlike pasta, do not salt the water.
Add the soba and cook for the length of time indicated on the package. For mine, it’s just four minutes.
Drain the soba in a colander over the sink. It’s often recommended to rinse the soba in cold water to remove the excess starch to avoid clumping.
Soba can be served hot or cold.
Cold soba noodles are often served with a dipping sauce on the side or in a salad. Sesame ginger soba is a common soba noodle salad recipe.
Hot soba often comes in the form of a soup where the cooked noodles are added to a hot broth along with other protein and vegetable ingredients.
Most soba recipes are served year-round while some soba recipes are traditionally served on a specific holiday, such as this New Year’s toshikoshi soba.
The miso soba recipe I have for you here is not a traditional Japanese recipe. It’s my interpretation of a vegan dish I order at a local Asian-inspired restaurant.
My recipe features soba noodles bathed in a creamy, umami-rich miso coconut sauce.
This recipe can be served hot or cold, depending on the season and whatever you’re feeling like at the moment!
Ingredients
For this Asian-inspired miso soba you should be able to find most ingredients in a well-stocked supermarket. Nothing too “exotic” here!
Soba noodles: Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat and can be found in many supermarkets near the ramen or in the international food aisle.
Miso paste: I like to use white miso paste for this recipe for it’s “cheesy” flavor that’s not too strong. I haven’t tried this recipe with dark miso paste. Dark miso paste has a stronger flavor so if you’re going to use it I’d recommend omitting or reducing the amount of soy sauce.
Coconut milk: Full fat coconut milk makes these noodles very creamy and adds a hint of coconut flavor.
Tahini: Tahini helps the sauce stick to the noodles. It does not give an overwhelming flavor of sesame. There are many recipes online for sesame soba noodles if you prefer a more sesame-forward recipe.
Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds salt and even more umami.
Carrot: I like to add carrot for a little bit of sweetness and blanch it in the soba cooking pot so that it’s a little more tender. You can skip the blanching step if you don’t mind crunchy carrot.
Edamame: Edamame adds a ton of protein and a delicious texture to these noodles. You can buy frozen edamame beans already shelled or the whole pods and shell them yourself.
Ginger and garlic: Ginger and garlic are a match made in heaven for any Asian-inspired recipe. If you want to make this recipe even quicker and easier, you can omit these and just mix together the sauce ingredients.
Oil: You’ll need just one teaspoon of a neutral-flavored oil such as canola, sunflower, vegetable, avocado, etc to fry the ginger and garlic.
How to make miso soba
Miso soba is an excellent weeknight meal that takes just a few minutes to whip together!
Prep: Start by bringing a pot of water to the boil for your soba noodles.
Peel and mince a clove of garlic and some ginger.
Peel and grate one medium carrot.
Most likely your edamame will be frozen. Thaw it by boiling in a pot of water or microwaving it.
To microwave, place the edamame in a microwave-safe container along with ¼ cup water. Loosely place the lid on top of the container and microwave for 5 minutes.
Cook: When your water for the noodles comes to a boil, add the soba and cook for the length of time indicated on the package. For me it’s 4 minutes.
This is optional but I also like to soften the carrot a bit by adding it to the pot with the soba. If you prefer crunchy carrot, skip this step.
When the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander over the sink and shake them well. You want to remove as much excess water as possible so that the sauce doesn’t get watered down.
Sauce: To make the miso sauce, heat a small pan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the ginger and garlic for about a minute or until soft and fragrant.
In a bowl, combine the fried aromatics and all the ingredients for the sauce. Mix well.
Combine: Transfer the drained soba noodles and carrot to a pot and add the edamame. Pour over the sauce and toss well to combine.
Serve immediately.
Substitutions and Variations
Spice: For spice lovers this miso soba recipe would go great with a squeeze of sriracha or a drizzle of chili crisp.
Veggies: You can add or substitute your favorite veggies. The dish at the restaurant that inspired this recipe is made with sautéed Asian mushrooms and bok choy.
Protein: Add some diced fried tofu, tofu puffs, or vegan chicken substitute for a heartier meal.
Garnish: A sprinkling of sesame seeds, fried shallots, or chopped green onion would make great garnishes.
FAQs
I usually make chia pudding by combining chia seed with coconut milk and oat milk and topping with whatever fruit I have on hand. You can also add leftover coconut milk to smoothies, curry, or rice to make coconut rice.
Yes, this miso sauce will taste great on any kind of noodle like ramen, rice noodles, or udon, etc.
The usual advice is to rinse soba noodles under cool water and massage them gently to remove the start and prevent clumping. However, if I want to serve this miso soba recipe hot, I’ll skip the rinsing step and just pour the sauce over the hot drained noodles. The sauce keeps the noodles from sticking together.
What to serve with soba noodles
Soba noodles are surprisingly hearty thanks to the high protein content of buckwheat flour so this miso soba recipe makes a great stand-alone main dish for a quick weeknight dinner.
If you’re looking for additional Japanese and Japanese-inspired dishes and sides, take a look in my vegan Japanese recipes collection for ideas.
Miso soup, cucumber salad, wakame, gyoza, pickled vegetables, shishito peppers, tempura vegetables, and sushi are all great options.
Storage tips
Miso soba is best served freshly made while the sauce is still creamy. The noodles will absorb the sauce and loose creaminess as it sits.
That said, you can store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. The texture will change but the flavor is still good.
Miso Soba
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180 grams) edamame beans
- Two bundles of soba noodles (each bundle is 75 grams)
- 1 carrot peeled and grated
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil sunflower, canola, vegetable, avocado, etc.
- 1 heaping teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 5 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the noodles.
- Meanwhile, thaw your edamame if frozen. They can either be boiled or microwaved. To microwave, place them in a container with ¼ cup water, loosely place the lid on top of the container and microwave for 5 minutes or until thawed.
- When your water comes to a boil, add the soba and grated carrot. Cook for the length of time indicated on the soba noodle package. For me, it’s 4 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for about a minute or until the aromatics are soft and fragrant.
- In a bowl combine the miso paste, tahini, coconut milk, soy sauce and fried garlic and ginger. Mix well until you have a smooth sauce.
- When your noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander over the sink. Shake them well to remove as much excess water as possible to prevent watering down your sauce.
- Transfer the noodles to a bowl along with the edamame and pour over your sauce. Toss well to coat the noodles in the sauce and serve immediately.
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