Pumpkin Soba Noodles

This has been quite the season for pumpkin! We've made coffee drinks, muffins, and ice cream that all featured pumpkin!

I had planned for us to have a new recipe variation featuring soba noodles. Much to my surprise the grocery store had pumpkin, ginger, and rice soba noddles! whoa! I couldn't pass them up since we've been loving some pumpkin. Unfortunately you couldn't really detect much pumpkin flavor.


Have you tried soba noodles before? We first tried them a few years ago (first on the blog in spring 2011 and again in spring 2012). Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and have a distinctive taste. As I looked up past recipes on the blog I realized I had never "recommended" them to you. Patrick and I enjoy them quite a bit in light Asian dishes like the one we tried below. They are a bit more expensive than regular pasta but the nutritional aspects validate the purchase. From Wikipedia: "Soba contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine, which is lacking in wheat. Soba contains a type of polysaccharide that is easily digested. Soba noodles also contain antioxidants, including rutin and quercetin, and essential nutrients including choline, thiamine and riboflavin."

Ginger Citrus Soba Noodles from the Love & Lemons blog
Yield: serves 2 as a main dish, 3-4 as a side

Ingredients
4 ounces soba noodles
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and peeled (we omitted)
1 cup edamame (frozen is ok, thaw before using)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
olive oil, for the pan
extra orange & lime wedges to squeeze in at the end
a few teaspoons of sesame seeds, for garnish
For the sauce:
juice from approximately 1/2 of an orange (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon sriracha (more if you like it spicier)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

Instructions
Whisk sauce ingredients together.
Cook noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions.
While the noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet with just a bit of olive oil. Once the pan is hot, (the first snow pea should sizzle when it hits), add snow peas and a pinch of salt, stir fry for few minutes, until tender and they get a slight char on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool down for a few minutes.
While the (same) pan is off but still a little hot, (stand back, it might smoke a little) and pour in the sauce. Let it bubble just a little bit. Stir continuously as it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. (turn the heat back on to low if the pan has cooled too much). The sauce should reduce and become slightly syrup-ey. Don't let it burn or reduce too much.
Add the noodles, snow peas and edamame to the pan. Stir to mix everything together with the sauce. Add a good squeeze of lime, and cook a few minutes more. Taste & adjust. If necessary, add more soy sauce, another squeeze of orange or lime, perhaps more sriracha if you want more heat. Top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, scallions & sesame seeds.


Have you had soba noodles before?!

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