Unintentionally, this month I’ve shared mostly Asian or Asian-inspired recipes, today I have one more for you. The main component of this light noodle meal is the sweet potato and buckwheat noodles. They are a new ingredient in my kitchen and though I’ve had mixed experiences with buckwheat, I was very much looking forward to tasting this unique combination. I do enjoy sweet potatoes and I was curious to see how they improved or changed the taste of buckwheat.
I purchased the noodles at my local Bio or organics and health food store. The brand, King Soba, appears to be an international one so you too should be able to purchase them locally or online. The word soba is Japanese for buckwheat noodles. The package comes with 3 bundles of noodles, so it’s perfect for small portions if that’s what’s desired. The noodles are a great quality product and of course, they are organic so that’s also very good. (In case you’re wondering, no I am not being paid to write this. These are my own opinions.) They are made with 95% buckwheat and 5% sweet potato. When I opened the package there wasn’t much of a scent other than a slight hint of buckwheat; the sweet potato seems to have added a bit of color but no scent.
When I was thinking about how to cook them, I knew I didn’t want to eat cold soba or soup — I wanted a noodle dish. I decided to keep it simple and incorporate all Asian flavours and ingredients. As you will see in the ingredients list, I tried sticking to a Japanese inspired recipe with hints of spicy. I’ve used the combination before and it works great both on chicken and noodles. The dish comes together so fast and easy, plus you probably already have everything in your cupboard
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ginger powder or 1 tsp fresh and finely diced
- chile flakes to taste
- 1 large chicken breast, thinly sliced
- sweet potato and buckwheat noodles, 250 gms or 3 bundles
- 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil of choice
- 1 cup wilted spinach (I used frozen, defrosted and squeezed out liquid)
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken slices, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After the chicken has marinaded for 30 minutes start the noodles. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Mine were cooked in boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Then I drained them and rinsed under cold water. Set aside. Heat the oil, and cook the marinaded chicken -- do not discard the sauce, cook it too. Once the chicken has cooked through, about 8 minutes, add the spinach and cook a furter 3 minutes. Next add the cooked noodles, add a splash of soy sauce and cook until noodles are warm, about 2-3 minutes. Serve with desired side dishes.
The Verdict
As the meal cooked I got very excited because of the wonderful smells that were filling up my kitchen. Even my husband popped in to see what it was that I was cooking. My first bite was of the chicken and it tasted fantastic. Then I went in for a taste of the soba…hmmm. Then another taste with a bit of chicken and spinach, this one was better. I continued to eat the noodles and for the most part was enjoying them. It wasn’t until after about 5 bites that the buckwheat taste become very strong to me. I asked my husband what he thought of the meal and he said it tasted very good to him, so I continued to keep eating my noodles. Sure enough, after several more bites I started to get that same strange tingling I get in my nose and forehead that I have gotten from other 100% buckwheat products.
It can’t be that I’m allergic to buckwheat because I can tolerate it when it’s mixed with wheat flour, but for some reason I get that strange tingling when the buckwheat content is higher. I ended up eating only half of the noodles and all of the chicken and spinach. The rest I discarded and just to be safe I took an allergy pill. Thankfully I had also served our dinner with miso soup and kimchi, which helped fill me up.
Nothing against the noodle brand, I’m just not so sure I’ve gotten over my dislike of buckwheat. It’s really too bad because buckwheat is a good source of plant based protein and is a low glycemic index food — which means that it digest slowly and there are no blood sugar spikes. From now on I will only cook buckwheat noodles for my husband and for me I’ll use either rice or wheat. However, the marinade, chicken and spinach is a combination that I know works great with many other noodles.
I’m curious if any of you also get that tingly thing from eating buckwheat?
P.S.
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I love buckwheat soba noodles and I make something similar very often… This recipe looks great and I love the marinade!
Your soba noodle dish is lovely and sounds flavorful. I haven’t had soba noodles in a while but have a box in my pantry. I especially like that it has sweet potato mixed into the noodles. Did the noodles have a distinguishing taste of sweet potato? I’ll have to see if they carry them here.
Your photos are so beautiful. I have your ebook and read it a awhile ago but had a point and shoot and have been planning to get a DSLR. Then last night my husband brought home the new Sony DSC-RX100M2 which although not a DSLR is suppose to behave like one without the interchangeable lenses. I’m going to look it over today to see if it’s substantially different than what I have. He claims it is and it’s compact. I’m hopeful that with your ebook and a couple others I’ve purchased I can soon create photos like yours. I’m hopeful!
Thanks for sharing this recipe – sounds like a winner!
You have created a wonder again!!! It looks delicious! :) Great food styling!
A very delicious and healthy noodle stir-fry, Nancy.
Beautiful photography, lovely recipe. I like this combination of ingredients very much. Most appealing. Thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic dish! These noodles sound amazing… I have to check to see if my Asian store carries them. I would eat a big bowl and rub my belly happily. :)
Bummer that buckwheat causes you problems. I love soba, although I don’t make it too often. I really should! This looks delish – thanks so much.
What a delicious looking noodle dish!
Yum! Well minus the chicken but that is easily removed :)
Since you’re ordering stuff online and I assume still in Europe – are there any restrictions on ordering things like this through Amazon? I’d love to get some of this stuff, but it’s never available in shops.
I just saw a recipe for buckwheat pasta in a magazine the other day, but I love the idea of sweet potato in the noodles themselves. I wonder if I can adapt it.
Hi Holly,
Yep, I am in Europe. I haven’t ordered food through them but I do remember that there were some restrictions to ship from the US. Have you tried Amazon.fr? I always have good luck finding unique foods like this in health food stores or the ethnic shops. Hope you find them soon!
Love soba noodles and your food always looks so yummy and tasty Nancy. It’s been a long time since I got some soba noodles, you just reminded me of it. I don’t remember the tingly feeling, but I am gonna be more aware next time, let’s see.
Your pictures are fantastic.
I love soba noodles, what a tasty dish! I’ve never encountered a tingly sensation, though I’m always wary around potential allergens. If you continue to eat them, the re-exposure can become quite severe (I had this experience with crab and was forced to give it up completely).
So sorry you had that reaction. I bought soba noodles a while back but haven’t used them yet. When I do I will pay attention to how I feel after eating them.
Sweet potatoes with noodles and chicken – yum! I’d love to have this for dinner tonight. I especially love the addition of 1 cup of spinach – spinach makes everything better! :)
Really interesting noodles, a very cool find. I really like the recipe you built around it, always partial to Asian dishes.
This is just what I need for a healthy boost. Looks delicious and the flavours amazing… so hungry now!
I’ll have to get back with you on whether or not I’m affected by buckwheat. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten it, but just last week I bought some buckwheat groats. I found a recipe I wanted to try. I’ve never had any type of food allergy (except for avocados which went away after 25 years), so we’ll see. Looking at your chicken, the marinade and the spinach, I’d make this with regular noodles or maybe Ramen. Lots of great flavors!