Soba noodle, tofu, edamame and radish salad

Soba noodle dishes are popular across Japan and Korea, where they are often served cold, in combination with salad-y ingredients and dressings, as here. “Soba” is the Japanese word for ‘buckwheat’ and although in Japan the word can refer to any thin noodle, these soba noodles are made using both wheat and buckwheat flour. They’re easily found in any good Asian grocery store.

Credit: SBS Food

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  6 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 320 g dried soba (buckwheat) noodles
• 400 g frozen shelled edamame
• 500 g firm tofu, cut into pieces about 6 x 1 cm
• 8 large radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
• 6 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• large handful mint leaves
• black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
• bonito flakes (optional)

Dressing

• 80 ml (⅓ cup) soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 ½ tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp finely chopped ginger, or to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 ½ tbsp honey
• 2 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste

Instructions

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine well.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and a medium bowl with iced water and set aside. Bring a large saucepan of unsalted water to the boil then add the soba noodles, stirring to keep them separate. Once the water starts to come back to the boil reduce the heat so the noodles just simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes or according to the manufacturer's instructions, or until tender. Drain the noodles well then transfer them to the bowl of cold water. Using your hands, rub the noodles for 1 minute to wash off any excess starch then drain them well.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the edamame and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain well, transfer to the iced water to cool then drain again. Divide the noodles among plates then make piles of the tofu, edamame, radish, green onion and mint around the noodles. Drizzle over the dressing, scatter black sesame seeds and bonito flakes to taste, if using, then serve.  

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Tiffany Page.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.