20-Minute Ginger Peanut Soba Salad
A cool, crunchy soba salad with a punchy ginger peanut dressing that tastes like road-trip takeout.
Prep: 10 · Cook: 10 · Total: 20 · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.8/5 (241 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
road trip takeout peanut noodles
Inspired by the peanut noodles I always grab on road trips because they taste good even after they sit a while.
Story
I have eaten versions of this in parking lots, hotel rooms, and one time in a rest stop that smelled like old coffee. It still hit. That is the magic: noodles plus peanut sauce equals comfort, no matter where you are. Keep it cold, keep it crunchy, and do not be shy with the ginger.
By Theo
Ingredients
- 8 oz soba noodles
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup thin-sliced cucumber
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 3 scallions, thin-sliced
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook soba noodles in salted water until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and sesame oil with 2 to 4 tbsp water until pourable.
- In a big bowl, toss noodles with carrots, cucumber, cabbage, and scallions.
- Pour in the dressing and toss hard until everything is glossy and coated.
- Taste and adjust, more soy for salt, more vinegar for bite, a splash of water if it is thick.
- Top with sesame seeds and serve cold or room temp.
Chef Tips
- Add rotisserie chicken or sautéed shrimp if you want it to be a full dinner.
- Rinse soba well, it keeps the noodles from clumping and gets rid of extra starch.
- If your peanut butter is very thick, start with warm water in the dressing.
- For heat, stir in chili crisp or sriracha.
Cook's Notes
- If you cannot find soba, use thin spaghetti and call it a day.
- Rinse noodles cold so the salad stays snappy.
- Dressing too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until it coats.