I had planned on making a nice hearty braised dish today, something along the lines of chicken adobo or Country Captain. Then I stepped outside to do grocery shopping and got hit with the fact that it was almost 60 degrees. Spring! Was it here for good, or is this just another tease? Not that most of the winter hadn’t already felt like spring, but it’d be nice have some consistency, of knowing when to stash away the heavy coats for good.
A light lunch won out over braised chicken, which would have taken almost an hour on the stove in my very warm apartment. I remembered there were some carrots in the fridge and a package of soba noodles hanging out in the pack of my cupboard. So I picked up a nice big bunch of kale from the store and improvised a lightly cooked soba dish.
It’s a shame that when you order a kale pasta or noodle dish in restaurants, it usually comes speckled with kale like if it were just a garnish. I like my kale in big bunches. I will eat pasta with a bowl of extra kale on the side if it can’t all fit on the plate. So here is my rendition of a kale noodle dish done right, with generous amounts of the iron-rich green. And the soba is wonderful tossed with a light sesame dressing. I topped everything off with furikake (one of the all-natural brands without MSG) for some seaweed flavor and extra nuttiness, but if you don’t have any on hand, feel free to just sprinkle on toasted white sesame seeds.
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Kale and Sesame Soba Noodles
Serves 2
- 1/2 bunch kale (about 5 to 6 large kale leaves)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 shallot
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 6 ounces dried soba noodles
- 2 teaspoons furikake, or substitute toasted white sesame seeds
- Rinse the kale, remove the hard stems, and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Julienne or grate the carrots. Thinly sliced the shallot. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and honey.
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil. (You can also do steps 2 and 3 simultaneously.) Add the soba noodles and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain under cool water, then toss with the soy-sesame mixture.
- Bring another medium pot of water to boil. Add the kale leaves and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, then squeeze out the excess water.
- Add the kale, carrots, and sliced shallots to the pot with the noodles and toss. Transfer to plates, then top with furikake.
Looks fantastic! I’m going to add some fresh shiitake mushrooms too and maybe chickpeas.
Just what I was in the mood for! Thanks, D!
C.J – Both sound like great additions!
Gastronomer – Glad you like it! I’ll probably be in the mood for this all week myself.
Kale lovers unite! Will definitely try kale in soba. Thanks for this recipe. Probably work well with raw kale too. Yum.
This looks like a great use of soba noodles – and much simpler than my normal recipe. Thanks for the idea!
What a beautiful dish! I love the long slivers of carrot.
I made this last night. Super easy and delicious! I foresee cooking this a lot as the weather gets warmer.
Thanks again for the recipes & tips at the ICE Dim Sum class.
I love the look of this. So fresh-looking and healthy and tasty at the same time.
Looks yummy! How do you cut your carrots into such nice long skinny juliennes?
Jessica – I have a julienne peeler from Kuhn Rikon. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools ever. You can use it for carrots, cucumbers, apples, etc., and make very impressive-looking salads in just a minutes. I’m starting to sound like an infomercial, but it really is a handy little tool. Here’s the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Julienne-Peeler-Protector/dp/B0000CEWJD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331919445&sr=8-1
Hope that helps!
Mystery solved! Buying one today :) Thank you!!
Jessica – No problem. I rave about the julienne peeler so much I should just start being a spokesperson for Kuhn Rikon. :)
This is SO delicious and has become an overnight staple in my house. I had some leftover grilled salmon and added it in which even makes it better. Thanks so much for this healthy, delicious and beautifully simple recipe!
Amy Abascal – Nice! I had been thinking of going to the seafood market and picking up some salmon to go with soba too. :)