Miso Lime Summer Soba Noodles

Living in Los Angeles, it's always either summer or fall weather. We may never experience snow or leaves changing colors but on the plus side, cherry tomatoes are accessible year-round as well as avocados and even strawberries. However, these fruits and vegetables taste infinitely better when it is harvesting time. Today, I'm taking full advantage of the bountiful vegetables we have with summer quickly approaching. Introducing miso lime summer soba noodles: a healthy meal that comes together quickly and still makes you go, "mmm! That is GOOD!"

Recipe

Print Recipe

Miso Lime Summer Soba Noodles

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Asian noodles, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Miso lime sauce

• 2 tablespoons white miso
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Remaining ingredients

• 3 rolls soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 bell pepper sliced
• 1 summer squash halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
• 1 zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 2 cups spinach
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 4 scallions sliced
• sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

• Make the miso lime sauce. Whisk together white miso with lime juice, sriracha, mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame oil until smooth. Set aside.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the soba noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drizzle with sesame oil and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper, summer squash, and zucchini and saute until lightly browned and softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add cherry tomatoes and spinach and saute for 1 minute. Add the soba noodles and miso lime sauce, tossing to combine. Add the cilantro and scallions and stir to combine. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve immediately.

Watch how to make this:

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

These miso lime summer soba noodles are easy to toss together and can easily be substituted to fit what's in season. If you're making this in the summer, bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes are great. However, if you're craving this in the fall or winter, use what's available. Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and asparagus would all work wonderfully.

The highlight of this dish for me is the miso lime sauce. There are many different types of miso including white miso, yellow, red, barley, and soybean miso, all aged at different lengths. Since we are looking for subtle flavors, white miso is the best way to go.

Whisk the miso together with sriracha, mirin, rice vinegar, lime, and sesame oil. Every ingredient offers a different flavor; combined, they create a well-balanced and delicious sauce.

Cook the soba noodles and drain them. Shock the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking and toss them with sesame oil. The oil will prevent the noodles from clumping together. Set the noodles aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Next, saute the bell pepper, zucchini, and summer squash along with the aromatics. If your pan is small, cook the vegetables in batches. Once softened, add the cherry tomatoes and spinach and saute for another minute.

Add the soba noodles and toss everything together with the miso lime sauce. Finally, add fresh chopped cilantro and scallions.

These miso lime summer soba noodles are quickly becoming my go-to dish especially when I don't want to stand in the hot kitchen all day. The perfect well balanced Asian inspired healthy meal!

For more Asian noodle inspiration check out this jeng ban gook su recipe!