This recipe was good in that we all enjoyed it. It was also clearly insane!

It called for (among other things) 375g of soba noodes, 500g of steak, and an entire napa cabbage and claims to serve four! I didn't even have a whole cabbage left, so I just used the ~2/3 of one that I did have. And even that would barely fit in the wok. And that was before we added the noodles!

We all had fairly large portions last night and the wok was still basically full after dinner. This recipe clearly makes enough to serve a family of 12! So, yeah, I like this recipe, but I think the proportions (and overall yield) are a bit off. I've scaled down the cabbage and noodles here, but left the rest of the ingredients the same. Hopefully this will produce a more reasonable quantity with a better balance between the meat, vegetables, and noodles. I've also reduced the broth called for. Since I found the sauce a bit soupier than I would have liked, even after adding the cornstarch slurry and trying to cook it down.

Stir-Fried Soba Noodles with Beef and Cabbage

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 500g steak (pref. sirloin)
• 1/4 c. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 200g soba noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti)
• 1 Tbsp. peanut or corn oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 c. beef broth, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 225g sugar snap peas or snowpeas (mangetout), trimmed and halved diagonally
• 1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
• Laoganma (老干妈) and/or Sriracha, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Thinly slice the beef across the grain and then cut into matchsticks (julienne).
2. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger paste.
3. Add the beef and toss to combine. Marinate for 1-3 hours.
4. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
5. Heat the wok over medium-high heat.
6. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
7. Add the garlic and green onion and stir-fry for a minute or so.
8. Add the beef and marinade and stir-fry until cooked (5-8 minutes).
9. Add the cabbage and 3/4 c. of the broth.
10. Cover and cook until cabbage wilts (3-4 minutes).
11. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 c. of broth and pour it over the cabbage.
12. Add the peas and noodles, toss to combine, and cook until everything is heated through and sauce thickens slightly (2-3 minutes longer).
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
14. Serve topped with Laoganma and/or Sriracha (if desired).

I really liked these noodles. The marinated eggplant was delicious! And instead of using plain tofu (as called for in the recipe), I opted to swap it out for a mix of smoked tofu and marinated black bean tofu. And I think both went very well with the overall dish.

I think the only changes that I'd make next time would be to cook the eggplant for slightly longer. And to use slightly more soy sauce and less oil in the dressing for the noodles. Oh, and I might try adding a grated carrot or two next time. It was very good as is, but I think it would be even better with a few more veggies. And grated carrot is very quick and easy to add and something that I generally have on hand.

Soba Noodle Salad with Marinated Eggplant and Tofu

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Eggplant

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar¹
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce²
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Asian eggplants, halved and sliced 1cm thick

Noodles

• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 275g soba noodles

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• 375g firm, smoked, and/or dry marinated tofu (五香豆干), cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 carrot, grated (optional)
• 5 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and garlic for the marinade and stir to mix.
2. Add the eggplant, toss to coat, and set aside for 1 hour.
3. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger paste for the dressing and stir to mix.
4. Cook the soba according to package diretions³, rinse under cold water, and drain.
5. Toss the noodles with the dressing and set aside.
6. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the marinated eggplant and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes.
9. Add eggplant to bowl with noodles and return wok to heat.
10. Add tofu to wok (along with a little more oil if necessary) and stir-fry until crispy (~5 minutes).
11. Add tofu to bowl with noodles.
12. Add carrot (if using) and green onions and toss to combine.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any sherry vinegar, so I substituted cane vinegar. I think apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar would also work well though. ^Back
2 The recipe didn't specify whether to use dark or light soy sauce, so I used a mix. I think I'd just use straight dark soy for the marinade next time though. That said, I think either would be fine in a pinch. ^Back
3 The recipe called for boiling the soba for 6 minutes in salted water, but the package instructions specifically called for unsalted water and only 4 minutes of cooking. We opted to trust the package over the cookbook. I would recommend doing the same for whatever noodles you end up using. Six minutes definitely would have been way too much. ^Back

I'm digging pretty deep into my backlog again with this one. I can't even remember exactly when I made this. But it's in my notes and it does sound at least vaguely familiar. So I'm going to do a write-up for it before it gets lost entirely.

I have been doing better at not letting recipes slip through the cracks the last couple of years. But that still doesn't mean that I always write them up promptly. I'm now just getting to them eventually rather than not at all. (And I am at least getting to most of them somewhat promptly.) It's a definitely improvement. It's just not completely consistent yet. Even so... I feel pretty good about the effort we've put in the last couple years! Over 340 posts last year and, while I don't think we're on track to beat that this year, we might manage to break 300, which is still pretty darn good.

And here is a soba noodle salad recipe from who-knows-when to help get us there.

Soba Noodle Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti
• 150g sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
• 3-4 small carrots, julienned
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3cm piece of ginger, minced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 4 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/3 c. natural peanut butter (preferably chunky)
• 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions adding carrots and peas ~2 minutes before they're done.
2. Drain noodles and vegetables and add cilantro and mint.
3. Heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add ginger and garlic and cook for ~1 minute.
5. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes, peanut butter, and stock and stir to combine.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick (5-7 minutes).
8. Pour dressing over noodle mixture and toss to coat.
9. Allow to cool, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion (if using), then serve.