Soba Noodle

This stovetop method of braising results in moist fish and a flavorful pan sauce to serve over noodles or rice.

The Japanese spin buckwheat flour into culinary gold with their rich, flavorful soba noodles. Buckwheat flour has many health benefits, including being much richer in antioxidants than wheat pasta. If you have a choice, buy inaka or “country” soba, because it’s made entirely from whole, unrefined buckwheat—which means more fiber. Traditionally, soba is served hot in a broth or cold with a sweetened soy dipping sauce called tsuyu. This simplified version is flavored with sesame, an American favorite.

This simply flavored noodle dish is good served with Asian-style tofu dishes. See the menu suggested on page 135 with Sweet and Savory Sautéed or Baked Tofu as well as the one given here. If you can’t find Asian noodles, substitute linguine.

Quick-cooking soba noodles are made from buckwheat, which means they provide more fiber than wheat or rice noodles.

Look for Asian noodles in natural foods stores as well as in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.

During the summer you can grill the asparagus outdoors. The smoky flavor of a wood charcoal fire adds complexity to this substantial meal. While I call for green asparagus, try making the dish with a colorful array of asparagus—green, white, and purple. White miso, which is called shiro-miso in Japanese can be found in health food stores. Smooth rather than grainy miso is preferable for this recipe.

A bowl of these refreshing noodles—a riff on a Japanese classic that gets topped with silky tofu—is clean and light, yet still hearty enough to make a satisfying meal.

Soba are buckwheat noodles and cook very quickly.

Korean hot-pepper paste gives this Asian-inspired dish not only heat but also full, deep flavor. Rich with umami, edamame and buckwheat noodles satisfy even the heartiest appetites.

It's no surprise that American cooks have adopted Asian peanut sauce as their own. The tantalizing balance of creaminess and heat has universal appeal.

Hearty soba noodles and tangy feta cheese create a lightning-quick vegetarian dish that even meat eaters will flock to. Served cold or at room temperature, it's just what we want on a warm evening.

Japanese connoisseurs of the noodle hold soba, made primarily of buckwheat flour, in particularly high regard. Here the nutty taste of the soba noodles is set off by a restorative broth in which miso is a savory option. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Offer a salad of snow peas and sliced radishes in a ginger vinaigrette. End with oranges and almond cookies. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Editors' note: The original recipe calls for Chinese wheat noodles, but we also like this soup made with somen (Japanese thin wheat noodles) or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles).

Whole-wheat spaghetti can replace the soba noodles used here.

Buckwheat noodles give this classic spring pasta dish a nifty twist. Uncork your favorite Chardonnay.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 15 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An Asian take on pasta salad. Soba, or Japanese buckwheat noodles, have a brown-gray color and nutty flavor.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min