Peanut Satay Soba Noodles with Cucumber

Peanut satay soba noodles are embellished with cucumber, carrots, scallions, and chopped peanuts. It’s an Asian-inspired cold noodle dish that comes together quickly and is a perfect main dish for warm-weather meals.

Served with a simply prepared tofu or tempeh dish (try Simple Stir-Fried Tofu or Simple Sesame Teriyaki Tempeh). It’s easy and delicious, and can be on the table in about 20 minutes.

Homemade or bottled peanut sauce?

 Homemade peanut sauce is, admittedly, not the hardest thing to make, even if you’re really lazy. Everyone likes it, even the pickiest of eaters (aka kids). Here’s our easy and delicious Coconut Peanut Sauce.

Sometimes, though, using a bottle of Thai peanut satay sauce makes more sense (and is cheaper) than getting all the ingredients and making a mess with the food processor. Especially if it’s 6:00 (or 7:00) and everyone is hungry. 

I most often use my supermarket’s organic brand of peanut satay sauce — it’s so tasty, contains more of the authentic ingredients (tamarind, lemongrass, etc.) and surprisingly low in calories for a condiment whose main ingredient is peanuts.

There are lots of peanut satay sauce brands, and you’ll likely find one or the other of these in your supermarket’s Asian foods section. Most are vegan and surprisingly low in fat and calories. Check the label, just to be sure.

About soba noodles

Soba, or buckwheat noodles are spaghetti-shaped noodles, though not quite as long as spaghetti. Most often imported from Japan or China, they combine hearty-tasting buckwheat flour with wheat or whole wheat flour.

The proportion of buckwheat flour varies, from 20% buckwheat/ 80% whole wheat to 100% buckwheat. The greater percentage of mineral-rich buckwheat, the more pronounced the flavor. 100% buckwheat is wheat-free, though this variety is much harder to come by. See this site’s Guide to Soba Noodles.

Explore more …

• Asian-Inspired Cold Noodle Dishes
• Refreshing and Easy Cucumber Salads
• Stir-Fried Soba Noodles with Tofu and Green Vegetables
• Roasted Butternut Squash Miso Soup with Soba Noodles

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Yield: 4 to 5

Peanut Satay Soba Noodles with Cucumber

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This super-easy room temperature dish of peanut satay soba noodles with cucumber is a perfect main dish for warm weather meals.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles
• 1 cup Thai peanut satay sauce, or as needed

• 1 medium crisp cucumber, about half of a hothouse cuke, or 2 mini-cucumbers or Kirbys
• 
2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts or cashews

Optional

• 1 cup grated carrot
• A handful of cilantro leaves
• Sriracha (if satay sauce is mild)

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente, then drain and rinse under cool running water until just warm.
2. Drain the noodles well, then transfer to a serving bowl. Pour in the peanut satay sauce and stir to combine with the noodles.
3. If using a regular or hothouse cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then slice thinly. if using mini or Kirby cukes, simply slice thinly.
4. Stir the cucumber, scallion, and chopped nuts in with the noodles (save some of nuts to sprinkle over the top or to pass around).
5. Add any or all of the optional ingredients, and serve at once.

Notes

Variations: If you can't find soba, use whole wheat or spelt spaghetti, or udon noodles. Or skip the pasta altogether and use spiralized zucchini “noodles.”

By all means, if you'd prefer homemade peanut sauces, try this luscious Coconut Peanut Sauce or Dressing.

See more delectable vegan recipes for pasta & noodles.