Summer ready cold soba noodle recipe – cucumber soba noodles with sweet chili soy dressing!
Soba noodles are one of my favorite noodles and I often think about a new way to indulge myself into this deliciousness.
In the last few weeks, I couldn’t stop thinking about pairing some cucumber with these soba noodles and also with homemade sweet chili soy dressing. They just sounded like a perfect match to me.
This soba noodle dish is a perfect for late spring or summer days. It’s light, refreshing and more-ish. I keep think about it even just a few hours after I have these noodles. They’re addictive!
Thankfully, Brisbane (in Australia), where I live displays reasonably constant mild weather most of the colder months. So I can appreciate this goodness pretty much all year round.
It’s also a quick and easy meal. You should be able to whip this up in 15 minutes or less. Sounds good? Then why not try this recipe out this weekend? I hope you enjoy my recipe as much as I do.
Ingredients for Cucumber Soba Noodles, 2 servings
- 1 large chilled Lebanese cucumber (170g, 6 ounces)
- 2 bundles of soba noodles (180g, 6.3 ounces)
- Dressing for soba noodles (mix these in a small bowl)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp raw sugar
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 hard boiled egg (optional), halved to serve on top of the noodles
* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml
How to Make Cucumber Soba Noodles
1. Make the sweet chilli soy dressing by mixing the listed ingredients above.
2. Rinse the cucumber thoroughly. (I used the skin as well, as I think it’s visually more appealing. But you can peel the skin off if you wish.) Removed the seeds. Thinly slice the cucumber like a match stick. (You could use a julienne peeler or spiralizer per your preference.)
3. Cook the soba noodles in rapidly boiling water until al dente. (Follow the directions from the package.) Drain the water and cool down the noodles under cold running water for about 1 minute. Stir the noodles with some tongs or your hand while it’s under the water. Drain the noodles well.
4. Put together the noodles, cucumber and dressing in a large mixing bowl and mix them well with your hands. (Wear a food handling glove). Serve it in a pasta or noodle bowl. Alternatively, you could serve them individually without mixing them so your guest has some fun mixing these together. In this case, about 2 Tbsp of the dressing sauce per person should be adequate.
Notes
- If you are a seasoned cook who can multi-task and work fast, you can cook the noodles first and while they’re boiling, you can make the sauce and get the cucumber ready. Then you should be able to create this dish under 10 mins. However, if you are not that person, I suggest you follow the steps above. This should ensure that you are not overcooking the soba noodles and also you can use the noodles straight away. (If you don’t, the noodles will swell and stick together.)
- You should mix the noodles, cucumber and dressing together when you are about to eat. Otherwise the noodles will steal your sauce away and it will taste drier.
Cucumber Soba Noodles with Sweet Chili Soy Sauce Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large chilled Lebanese cucumber (170g)
- 2 bundles soba noodles (180g)
Dressing for soba noodles(mix these in a small bowl)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp raw sugar
- 1 Tbsp Korean chili powder
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 hard boiled egg (optional), halved to serve on top of the noodles
Instructions
- Make the sweet chilli soy dressing by mixing the listed ingredients above.
- Rinse the cucumber thoroughly. (I used the skin as well, as I think it’s visually more appealing. But you can peel the skin off if you wish.) Removed the seeds. Thinly slice the cucumber like a match stick. (You could use a julienne peeler or spiralizer per your preference.)
- Cook the soba noodles in rapidly boiling water until al dente. (Follow the directions from the package.) Drain the water and cool down the noodles under cold running water for about 1 minute. Stir the noodles with some tongs or your hand while it’s under the water. Drain the noodles well.
- Put together the noodles, cucumber and dressing in a large mixing bowl and mix them well with your hands. (Wear a food handling glove). Serve it in a pasta or noodle bowl. Alternatively, you could serve them individually without mixing them so your guest has some fun mixing these together. In this case, about 2 Tbsp of the dressing sauce per person should be adequate.
Notes
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
