Sesame Soba Noodles. Springy cold buckwheat noodles seasoned with a soy nutty flavor sauce, spring onions, sesame seeds and roasted seaweed. Ready in 10 minutes with minimal ingredients.
Jump to:
What are Sesame Soba Noodles?
Sesame Soba Noodles are made of chilled buckwheat noodles seasoned in a simple sauce made of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar topped off with sesame seeds. green onions and dry roasted seaweed. These cold sesame noodles serve well as a main dish or simple side dish to your dinner tonight.
Whenever I want to eat a quick light meal, this dish is it! I usually pair it with my favorite veggies and protein to make a complete meal. It is also a convenient packable lunch, as you can serve it cold or at room temperature.
This easy sesame soba noodle recipe is quick and simple with a handful of simple pantry ingredients. You are going to love these tasty noodles!
Ingredients
You'll need the below sesame soba noodles ingredients. Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.
- Buckwheat soba noodles: A type of Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour. Or substitute with instant ramen noodles or somyeon, which are Korean thin wheat flour noodles and cook them according to package directions.
- Green onions: This aromatic ingredient will elevate your noodle bowl with taste and give it some color.
- Toasted sesame seeds: These seeds will also give this cold soba noodle salad a nutty flavor and crunch! Pro Tip: If you crush them in your palms, the flavor will be even stronger.
- Nori or roasted seaweed: This is an optional garnish but can give the noodles a slightly umami taste.
Dressing Ingredients
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice. Avoid using dark soy sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil: This is the key ingredient to the sesame sauce in making these Asian noodles nutty and aromatic! It's unlike vegetable oil, canola oil or olive oil and I wouldn't recommend the aforementioned as substitutes. The closest substitute would be peanut oil but note, that it won’t be very strong in taste like sesame oil.
- Rice vinegar: Also called rice wine vinegar. This gives the noodles an acidic tang needed to balance out the salty flavors.
Note: Your Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
How to make Sesame Soba Noodles
- In a small bowl, combine Dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large pot of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once water is boiling, add buckwheat noodles and boil according to package directions, about 5-6 minutes.
- Strain noodles and rinse noodles off with cold water until they are cool to touch. Strain out any excess water. Transfer strained noodles to a large bowl.
- Season noodles with Dressing, sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions. Mix well until noodles are lightly coated in sauce.
- Serve and garnish optionally with a little bit of thinly cut nori strips on top. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
These cold noodles will last 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You won't even need to reheat them for the next day as they can be served cold.
Expert Tips
Below are tips on making these Japanese sesame soba noodles recipe:
- Combine Dressing ingredients. Mix together your dressing sauce before adding to the noodles so the ingredients are equally distributed before mixing with the noodles.
- Do not overcook the noodles. This goes without saying but please make sure to cook noodles according to package instructions to prevent soggy noodles. ***If yours do not contain package instructions: After you add the noodles on a rapid boil over medium high heat, lower heat to medium heat, and simmer for about 5-6 minutes uncovered.
- Rinse noodles under cold tap water. After boiling the noodles, rinse them under cold running water until they are cold. This stops the cooking process and makes them bouncier.
- Mix noodles well. Make sure to mix them well with the Dressing and aromatic ingredients for an even taste.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this recipe:
What can you serve these sesame soba noodles with?
Because this is a cold noodle dish, the best part is that you can serve it with raw veggies and your cooked protein of choice!
Fresh veggies or Raw veggies:
- shredded red cabbage
- cucumber
- shaved carrots
- thinly cut bell pepper
- snap peas
Protein:
- Boiled egg
- Diced cooked tofu or tempeh
- Shredded chicken
- Pork
- Beef
How can I make these noodles spicy?
Feel free to add as much red chili flakes, red pepper flakes or chili oil to taste into the dressing before mixing with the noodles.
Is this the same as Zaru Soba?
Yes and no, the ingredients are quite similar, but Zaru Soba requires you to dip the buckwheat noodles into a soupy sauce. These sesame soba noodles are already pre-mixed with the sauce.
Other Japanese recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this, you may like these other recipes:
📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Sesame Soba Noodles
Ingredients
- 180 grams soba noodles buckwheat kind
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Optional garnish:
- ½ half sheet nori very thinly cut into 1 inch long pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine Dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large pot of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once water is boiling, add buckwheat noodles and boil according to package directions, about 5-6 minutes.
- Strain noodles and rinse noodles off with cold water until they are cool to touch. Strain out any excess water. Transfer strained noodles to a large bowl.
- Season noodles with Dressing sauce, sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions. Mix well until noodles are lightly coated in sauce.
- Serve and garnish optionally with a little bit of thinly cut nori strips on top. Enjoy!
Joy
Thank you for this recipe, it was very easy to make and used ingredients easily found in my pantry. More power to you Christie!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipes Joy! I appreciate your kind support!!!