Peanut Sesame Soba

Soba luxuriously coated in a nutty, savory sauce... truly slurp-worthy noodles. They're good either cold or warm, and during the heat wave that's bearing down on us currently, I really enjoy nibbling on a chilled portion of these right out of the fridge. I don't add too much greenery to my noodle dishes, but feel free to add ribbons of cabbage or sliced cucumbers to up the refreshing crunch factor.

Peanut Sesame Soba
Makes 2-3 servings

*2 bundles of soba
*3 tablespoons peanut butter

*3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
*1 tablespoon soy sauce

*A small nubbin of ginger, peeled and chopped

*2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
*1 teaspoon rice vinegar
*2 teaspoons hot chili sesame oil (or use regular sesame oil + a bit of chili oil)
*A squeeze of honey

*Hot water (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
*1 scallion, thinly sliced

*A small handful of cilantro, chopped
*Toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts

Put the soba on to boil for about 5ish minutes. Blend the peanut butter, sesame paste, soy, ginger, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil and honey together in a small food processor with a bit of hot water, and continue adding hot water to thin out the sauce to desired consistency.  Drain, rinse, and re-drain the soba, and then add dollops of the sauce and toss until the soba is dressed to your liking. Garnish with scallion, cilantro, sesame seeds and peanuts.

Honey-Soy Soba and Poached Salmon

During the summer I greatly prefer lightly dressed soba over other heavier pastas, so you're sure to see a number of soba noodle recipes pop up over the next couple of months. This dish just looks summery too, with its shades of green, coral and light brown, and makes for an easy and refreshing supper to take out onto the porch with a crisp saison or pilsner. Leftovers make a lovely chilled lunch the next day.

Honey-Soy Soba and Poached Salmon
Makes 2 servings + modest lunch leftovers

*1 6oz salmon fillet
*3 bundles of soba noodles
*2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
*2 tablespoons honey
*2 tablespoons sesame oil
*1 teaspoon sherry or rice wine
*2 scallions, green parts sliced
*A couple pinches of toasted sesame seeds

Make the dressing by whisking the honey, oil, sherry, and soy together in a small bowl.
Fill a pan with about two inches of water and bring to a boil. I threw some black peppercorns into a muslin bag and put that in the pan with some kosher salt and a couple bags of green tea to steep while it came to a boil, and then removed all the bags. However, poaching with pure water is fine, especially if you have a nice piece of salmon. When the water boils, bring down to a simmer and slide in the salmon. Poach for 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillet/desired doneness.

While the salmon is poaching, boil the soba for 5ish minutes. Drain, rinse, drain again. Toss with the sauce and divide into bowls. Flake up the salmon fillet when it is done and lightly incorporate it into the noodles. Garnish with a spangle of sesame seeds and scallions.

Sichuan Soba & Scallops

The first time I made this, tinkering around with proportions, I ended up creating the fieriest dish ever to come out of my kitchen. It was good! - but upon reaching the bottom of my bowl it felt like I had interior sunburn. I've since toned it down, but it still packs a spicy wallop - you are forewarned. You can omit the dried chilis if you want to cut down even more.



gotta get a better lighting source...



Sichuan Soba & Scallops
Makes 2 full servings with scallops + some extra noodles to put aside for lunch

*6-8 sea scallops
*Approximately 10 oz soba noodles (three bundles)
*Neutral oil

*1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (can be ordered from Penzy's, or even Amazon.com)
*A couple dried red chilis (optional)

*3 cloves garlic, minced

*1 teaspoon minced ginger
*2 scallions, white part & green parts separated and sliced
*2 tablespoons light soy sauce
*1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*A scant 1/4 cup chili oil
*1 tablespoon Chinese sesame paste


Wash and thoroughly dry your scallops, making sure to trim the muscle off the sides if need be. Put water on to boil for the soba noodles. Lightly toast the peppercorns until fragrant in a wok and then grind in a spice grinder, reserving a pinch of fine peppercorn dust. Add a bit of oil to the wok and fry the ground peppercorns and the chilis (if using) for about 30 seconds over medium high before adding the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for about 30 more seconds before pouring in the combined liquid ingredients. Lower the heat to the other side of the dial and cook the mixture for about 3 minutes.


Meanwhile, heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high and season the scallops with the pinch of peppercorn, and kosher salt. When the skillet is hot add a glug of oil and swirl it around. Lay the scallops in and sear on each side for about a minute and a half.

Drain the soba noodles after 5ish minutes of boiling (or according to package instructions), rinse, drain again, and then toss with the sauce. Ladle into bowls, arrange the scallops on top, and garnish with the sliced green parts of the scallions. You could also garnish with chopped cilantro, sliced fresh Thai chilis, sauteed greens, a fried egg, whatever you want. May the 'ma la' tingle be with you.

Alternately, make it with bay scallops: just saute for a shorter period, about a minute total, and toss with sauce 'n soba