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Edamame Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Buckwheat soba, edamame, and crisp vegetables make a cool, satisfying salad; careful rinsing keeps the noodles separate so sesame-ginger dressing can coat each strand.

Chilled soba noodles, edamame, cucumber, carrot, and scallions are coated in sesame-ginger dressing.

This chilled soba salad balances springy noodles and tender edamame with cucumber, carrot, and scallion crunch. A soy, rice vinegar, sesame, and ginger dressing gives the vegetables a savory, bright edge without weighing them down.

Choose the right noodle texture

Buckwheat soba softens quickly, so use the package timing as a guide and taste before draining. A slight bite matters in a cold salad because the noodles continue to relax as they absorb dressing.

Rinse until cool, then drain

Cold running water stops the cooking and washes loose surface starch from soba, which helps keep strands from clumping. Gently lift the noodles as they rinse, then shake and drain until water stops dripping so the dressing stays concentrated.

Cold soba strands drain separately in a colander beside edamame and cut vegetables. — Cool, well-separated soba and edamame are ready for the dressing.

Let the dressing cling

Whisking the honey into sesame oil, soy, rice vinegar, and ginger makes a smooth dressing that coats the noodles instead of pooling below them. Dress the cool noodles and edamame first, reserving some to season the vegetables at the end.

Keep the vegetables crisp

Cucumber and carrot are at their crunchiest when they stay covered and cold while the noodles chill. For a make-ahead meal, store them apart from the dressed noodles and fold them in with the reserved dressing just before serving.

Glossy soba strands and edamame sit among crisp cucumber, carrot, scallion, and sesame seeds. — A glossy strand of soba sits among crisp cucumber, carrot, edamame, and sesame seeds.

Edamame Soba Noodle Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

4 servings

50 minutes total

Ingredients

• 12 oz dried buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 1/2 cups shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
• 1 medium English cucumber
• 1 medium carrot
• 3 scallions
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

Boil water for soba
Bring a large pot of water to a steady boil for the soba; use enough water for the noodles to move freely, which helps keep them from sticking together.
Look for: The water is bubbling steadily before the noodles go in.
Whisk the dressing
Whisk the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and grated ginger in a small bowl until the honey dissolves and the dressing looks uniform.
Look for: The dressing is glossy and no honey remains at the bottom of the bowl.
Prepare the vegetables
Cut the cucumber and carrot into thin matchsticks and slice the scallions. Keep the vegetables covered and cold while you prepare the noodles so they stay crisp for serving.
Look for: The cucumber and carrot are fine, even strips and the scallions are thinly sliced.
Cook the soba
Add soba noodles to boiling water, stir at once, and cook to the package's shorter suggested time; taste for tender strands with a slight bite before draining.
Look for: The strands are tender but still have a slight bite, not soft or frayed.
Rinse and drain well
Drain the soba in a colander and rinse under cold running water, gently lifting and separating strands with fingers until fully cool. Shake well and leave to drain until water stops dripping; well-drained noodles take up dressing without clumping.
Look for: The noodles feel cool and separate readily, and the colander no longer drips.
Cook and cool edamame
Put the edamame in a small saucepan, cover with water, bring to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse cold, and shake dry.
Look for: The edamame are bright green and tender without being mushy.
Dress and chill the noodles
Toss the cold noodles and edamame with about two-thirds of the dressing. For a chilled meal, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes; if making ahead, keep this mixture, the vegetables, and reserved dressing covered separately in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
Look for: The strands are lightly coated, and the vegetables remain separate and cold for a crisp finish.
Fold in crisp vegetables
Just before serving, fold the cucumber, carrot, and scallions into the noodles with the reserved dressing. Toss gently until strands are glossy and the vegetables remain crisp; if the chilled noodles have tightened, separate them with a splash of cold water first.
Look for: The vegetables stay distinct and crunchy while the noodles look lightly glossy.
Finish and serve cold
Scatter sesame seeds over the salad and serve cold. If it has been refrigerated ahead, let it sit briefly while tossing so the noodles loosen and each bowl gets vegetables as well as noodles.
Look for: Sesame seeds are distributed across the top and each serving includes crisp vegetables.