This recipe is from my week of failed menu planning. It was my second noodle dish of the week (first – Miso Eggplant Soba).
This is “Vietnamese” only because I added fish sauce and because cucumbers are vaguely Vietnamese (because lots of Vietnamese dishes have them; they don’t come from Vietnam). Vegan/vegetarian alternatives to fish sauce include (but are not limited to): vegetarian fish sauce, papaya juice, other fruit juice, rice vinegar + sugar, apple juice, and so on. I made this dish for lunches, and it was just as good as the other soba dish I made last week. Again, I don’t usually do noodles for lunch, but this was satisfying. I would probably have it for dinner (or even breakfast!) too.
Maggie’s Cold Vietnamese Soba
Ingredients
- 1 bundle soba noodles (1.5-2 servings; they come in bundles)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (could cut this down)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 small/medium cucumber, sliced or chopped
- dash of soy sauce (or bragg’s liquid aminos)
Method
- Cook noodles as directed (boil for 4 minutes; rinse in cold water).
- Toss noodles with olive oil, chili powder, fish sauce, scallions, cucumber, and soy sauce (or bragg’s). Add more or less of the saucey ingredients, to taste.
- Serve garnished with cilantro (last week’s herb of choice).
So simple. I made this on Sunday afternoon (last Sunday, the 18th) when I was in a cooking mood (2 batches for 2 lunches). Sunday prep makes it easier to bring lunch during the week.
What’s your go-to lunch?