Delicious, light, and easy to prepare, this vegan soba noodle salad gets its tasty crunch from fresh veggies cut into matchsticks. With a bright dressing of yuzu ponzu, rice vinegar, and spicy ginger, this Japanese-inspired dish is perfect to enjoy on warm evenings, and it travels well for take-along lunches. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and have an earthy, slightly nutty flavor that plays well with acidic sauce. 

Tip: Yuzu ponzu is a Japanese condiment made with soy sauce, vinegar, and citrusy yuzu juice. Some blends contain bonito (fish) flakes, so check the label. No yuzu ponzu? Substitute a blend of 2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon each of tamari and lemon zest.

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegan yuzu ponzu, such as Marukan brand
  • 3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 6 oz. dry soba noodles
  • 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
  • 1 cup matchstick-cut red or yellow bell pepper
  • ½ of a bunch Japanese chives (garlic chives) or regular chives, cut into 2-inch pieces (1 cup)

Instructions

  • For dressing, in a large bowl whisk together yuzu ponzu, vinegar, ginger, and ¼ cup water.
  • In a large pot of boiling water cook noodles according to package directions, adding carrots, bell pepper, and chives the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain. Transfer noodle mixture to bowl with dressing; toss to coat.
  • Serve warm or chilled. If noodles seem dry, toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or vegetable broth before serving.

Comments (15)

(5 from 8 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Jennifer Lacroix

A 4.5 really. I used Trader Joe’s Yuzu sauce which may account for a different flavor than I expected. TJ’s yuzu sauce runs spicy, so I only used 1 TBS of it and added 2 TBS of Kikkoman soy sauce. It definitely dried out quickly sitting out for about 30 minutes, so I would try adding veggie broth next time. Overall, a very easy to make light meal.

Jenny

This is very bland - an easy way to add flavor is to add about 1/3 C soy sauce / Braggs aminos and a splash of rice wine vinegar and reduce water in peanut sauce. Also add a hot sauce or paste to the sauce if you like spice. I’d also add sliced ginger to the stir fry and top with green scallions and/or sesame Seeds. Or chat some fresh veggies and add those instead of using frozen. These steps don’t add much time to the recipe and make it much more flavorful. Sweet potato starch noodles are a good choice if you’re GF - can be found at Asian groceries and online. 99Market is usually cheaper than Amazon for Asian groceries.

Jenny

My bad, I was responding to a dif recipe but my phone somehow got me to this one! Whoops. But just to clarify 99Market is online and you can get ANY cool Ingredient from them that may not be in your local store. Their shipping isn’t free, but you’ll still pay less than the $$$ prices charges by Amazon.

Amanda

This was absolutely amazing. It was simple and delicious. I found the ponzu at World Market and was so glad I did, it tastes so good, I’ll be able to use it in other recipes. This one is a keeper for sure!

merce

i really liked this recipe. i used spring onions instead of the chives, and ginger powder instead of freash because it was all i had, but it was great!

Laura

I thought soba was always supposed to rinsed after cooking

Lydia

This is -so- simple and tasty! I had feared it would be bland but that ginger and the yuzu ponzu are so flavorful. Wonderful little dish for a quick bite.

Theodore K Houston

Thank you.

Sarah

This was delicious! I added cannellini beans (meh) and bean sprouts (yum). The sauce was amazing! I added ground ginger since my husband doesn't like anything too ginger-y and it was great.

Carolyn

So many of Forks Over Knives recipes contain a weird ingredient. It would be more helpful if the would use ingredients that most cooks.had in the pantry. Yusuf ponzu contains liquor and I doubt not available in local grocery stores. It is so frustrating to try to make a lot of their recipes.

Claire

I completely agree. They could at least offer a reasonable substitute.

Christine

It says in the article: "Tip: Yuzu ponzu is a Japanese condiment made with soy sauce, vinegar, and citrusy yuzu juice. Some blends contain bonito (fish) flakes, so check the label. No yuzu ponzu? Substitute a blend of 2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon each of tamari and lemon zest.

Laura Julian

I purchse ponzu sauce at my local grocery. It's a lovely alternative to just using soy sauce.

Sara

Carolyn, There are so many recipe sites that fit everyones level of cooking experience. What is lovely about this site is that they offer alternatives to ingredients that you may not find in your local store. Just because something is hard, doesn't mean it isn't worth making.

Ruby

they have a substitute on the top of the page! "No yuzu ponzu? Substitute a blend of 2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon each of tamari and lemon zest." :)

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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