These Japanese sesame soba noodles with mushrooms are a quick and easy Asian recipe, ready in 20 minutes or less. The noodles are tossed in an aromatic mushroom sesame-soy sauce and garnished with sesame. It makes a delicious vegetarian dinner, light and loaded with sweet and sour flavors.
When it comes to Asian food, you can always count me in. For a long time though, it was mostly something I would order for takeout or eat at the restaurant, not something I would cook myself. It somehow seemed too advanced. You see, the most simple dish may seem a little bit intimidated when you’re not familiar with a certain cuisine. That’s exactly how I felt about soba noodles, until I learned how to prepare them. Making soba noodles is simple, quick, light, and delicious!
Put it that way: it will take you around 5 minutes to cook the noodles, 5 minutes to mix all the ingredients for the sauce, and about 10 minutes for cooking and tossing all the ingredients together before serving. It doesn’t get more complicated than that. In no time and basically no effort you get a perfect quick light meal for busy days. If I can do it, you can do it too. Promise!
What are soba noodles?
Soba noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour (soba means buckwheat in Japanese). Most of the time, they are partly made with whole wheat flour too, to keep the noodles from deteriorating while cooking. Soba noodles have a slightly nutty, earthy flavor, and can be eaten hot or cold. They also offers a wide range of health benefits and nutrients, with a higher content in protein and fiber than other noodles made with rice.
Last but not least, cooking soba noodles is easy, very similar to cooking regular pasta, and the noodles are ready in 5 minutes. Really, there is no reason why you should not give them a try!
What goes into sesame soba noodles?
- Soba noodles
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce or tamari
- Fresh ginger, grated
- Spring onions, sliced
- Mushrooms (I used a mix of cremini and wild mushrooms)
- White and/or black sesame, toasted preferably
You will also need some vegetable oil (canola or sunflower) for cooking, sugar to sweeten the sauce a little, and minced shallots (optional) to add in flavors.
How to make sesame soba noodles with mushrooms?
Step 1: cook soba noodles. Add the noodles to a large pot of boiling water placed over the stove and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring with a fork from time to time to separate them from each other. Be careful not to overcook the noodles or they will become mushy. Then drain the water and run under cold water before using.
Step 2: make the sauce. It doesn’t get any easier than that. All you need to do is whisk the ingredients together (sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar), and add freshly grated ginger.
Step 3: sauté and assemble the dish. Sauté the shallots and mushrooms with a little bit of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan and when mushrooms are tender, add the sauce. Cook for a few minutes, then add the drained soba noodles and toss with the sauce until well coated. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and serve!
Possible variations around the recipe
What I love the most about this sesame soba noodles is that it’s super simple to make and there are many possible variations so you never get tired of this dish. Here are just a few ideas for inspiration:
- Serve it hot or cold. This is probably the most distinctive particularity with soba noodles. You can eat them hot, sautéed with veggies, or cold as a salad. To do so, simply omit the mushrooms in the recipe and serve cold as a salad.
- Add a vegetarian protein such as tofu, to make the dish more nutritious and filling.
- Play around with the veggies. My favorite variation consists in adding broccolini to the mushrooms. It’s a wonderful addition to these sesame soba noodles and add a touch of green.
- Replace soba with rice noodles. The ginger soy sauce works perfectly with rice noodles too, so feel free to explore around.
More Asian noodle recipes:
- Easy Vegetable Pad Thai (Vegan)
- Easy Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles (Vegan)
- Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup (Vegan)
Other Asian-inspired recipes you will love:
- Thai Red Curry Tortellini Soup
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing (Vegan)
- Asian Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry (Vegan)
- Thai Green Curry with Tofu (Vegan)
- Thai Green Curry Chickpea Meatballs (Vegan)
Sesame Soba Noodles with Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Savory
- Cuisine: World Cuisine
- Diet: Vegan
These Japanese sesame soba noodles with mushrooms are a quick and easy Asian recipe, ready in 20 minutes or less. The noodles are tossed in an aromatic mushroom sesame-soy sauce and garnished with sesame. It makes a delicious vegetarian dinner, light and loaded with sweet and sour flavors.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (280g) soba noodles
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- 3 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil, for cooking
- 2 small shallots, minced
- 8 ounces (230g) wild mushrooms, roughly chopped*
- 8 ounces (230g) cremini mushrooms, sliced*
- 6–8 sprigs green onions sprig, thinly sliced
- 3 Tablespoons black and/or white sesame seeds, slightly toasted
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles for 4-5 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally with a fork so the noodles don’t clump. Drain in a colander and rinse well under cold water, tossing to remove the starch.
- While the noodles are cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and black pepper. Add the fresh ginger and set aside.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet placed over medium high heat, and once hot add shallots. Sauté for about one minute. Add mushrooms, half of the green onions, and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and spring onions fragrant, stirring from time to time.
- Pour the soy and sesame sauce, cook for 30 seconds, then add the noodles, and toss until the noodles are heated through. Add the remaining green onion and half of the sesame seeds. Garnish with the remaining seeds and serve warm.
Notes
* You can use a mix of wild mushrooms (Chanterelles, Oyster, Maitake, Trumpet, Enoki, Shiitake…) and cremini mushrooms for a gourmet option. Or you can go for white and/or brown button mushrooms for more classic flavors. Both options will be delicious!
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Sesame Soba Noodles with Mushrooms, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
