Spicy Soba Noodle Salad, the Best Way to Party

Everybody knows how to throw together a soba noodle salad, but this Korean Spicy Soba Noodle Salad, aka Jaengban Guksu (쟁반국수) is a level up, adding more crispy, crunchy, colorful vegetables, a spicy, savory, subtly sweet Gochujang Dressing with a secret ingredient, and serves it up party style on a platter. Shall we?

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• What is Spicy Soba Noodle Salad aka Jaengban Guksu 쟁반국수?
• Ingredients You Need for Spicy Soba Noodle Salad
• Where to Buy Soba Noodles
• What Can I Use Instead of Soba Noodles?
• Pro-Tips for Spicy Soba Noodle Salad
• Tools and Equipment You Need
• Best Soba Noodle and Buckwheat Noodle Recipes
• Best Dressings for Soba Noodle Salad
• Spicy Soba Noodle Salad Recipe
• Gochujang Dressing

If I tell you that this Soba Noodle Salad recipe serves four, please know that I made the full recipe and ate the entire thing myself, one serving at a time over the course of four meals.

And putting an egg on a Soba Noodle Salad absolutely does it make it Breakfast Soba Noodle Salad, ok?

What is Spicy Soba Noodle Salad aka Jaengban Guksu 쟁반국수?

This specific spicy soba salad is called Jaengban Guksu. It is a Korean dish that consists of chilled noodles served with a colorful assortment of fresh vegetables, sometimes with a kind of protein like tofu or chicken, boiled eggs, and a spicy, umami, subtly sweet sauce. There are a couple of things that make this dish what it is.

The first key to jaengban guksu comes from its name. "Jaengban" and "guksu" translate literally from Korean to English as "tray" and "noodles." All of the components are arranged by color and served on a "jaengban," the Korean word for tray or platter. The dish is presented this way at the table, then the ingredients are mixed together with the sauce directly on the tray right before serving into individual bowls or plates.

The second key component to jaengban guksu is the inclusion of Asian pear or apple in the spicy sauce. Asian pear impoarts not only a natural, subtle sweetness, but the puree provides body and texture that helps the sauce cling to the noodles.

Ingredients You Need for Spicy Soba Noodle Salad

Spicy Soba Noodle Salad is nothing more than a mixture of buckwheat soba noodles and a combination of crisp and crunchy vegetables, many of which you probably already have in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Here's what you need:

for Soba Noodle Salad:

• Buckwheat soba noodles, 12-14 ounces or 4 servings
• Carrots, 2 large julienned
• Radish, 2 cups julienne any kind (I like pink watermelon radish for the color)
• Persian cucumbers, 2 julienne
• Romaine lettuce, 2 cups finely shredded
• Purple cabbage, 2 cups finely shredded
• Eggs, 4 boiled and halved
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds coarse ground for garnish
• Gochujang Dressing, 1 cup, recipe follows

optional: 2 cups shredded chicken, tofu or other protein source, any other vegetable in your refrigerator that you want to use up

for the Gochujang Dressing:

• Asian pear, 1 or sub large Fuji apple
• onion, ¼ chopped
• garlic 4 cloves, minced
• ginger, 1 1-inch piece
• gochugaru, ¼ cup
• gochujang, 2 tablespoons
• apple cider or rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons
• soy sauce, 2 tablespoons
• sea salt, 1 teaspoon
• sesame oil, 1 teaspoon

optional: sugar or maple syrup to add sweetness if your pear/apple is not that sweet

What is Soba?

Soba noodles are Japanese thin noodles made primarily of buckwheat flour. "Soba" actually translates to "buckwheat," though we use the Japanese term to refer to the buckwheat noodle.

Buckwheat gives soba noodles their characteristic color, texture, and flavor. Soba noodles range in color from light beige to dark brown, depending on what percentage of buckwheat flour is in the noodles. Unlike the bounce of thick udon noodles and spring and chew of ramen noodles, which are both made with regular wheat flour, soba has a texture that's tender and brittle. Their flavor is nutty and earthy and uniquely delicious.

The noodles sometimes have a squared off shape because of the way they are cut. Sometimes, the noodles have a round, tube shape. The shape does not define soba noodles.

Though buckwheat has the word "wheat" embedded in its name, buckwheat itself is not related to wheat, or grains in general, at all. Buckwheat is is actually the large seed of a plant in the rhubarb family and is gluten-free.

However, most soba noodles sold dried and packaged in grocery stores have some regular wheat flour to help with texture. If you eat gluten-free, make sure to read the ingredients list on the package.

Where to Buy Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are sold both dried and fresh and increasingly can be found in conventional grocery stores. I have seen soba noodles in "Asian" sections as well as in the pasta aisle at my grocery stores. Obviously, you can find soba noodles at Asian grocery stores, as well as online.

What Can I Use Instead of Soba Noodles?

You can use any long thin noodle. I have made Soba Noodle Salads with everything from 100% buckwheat noodles to noodles that had the barest tint of taupe to pale green "cha soba," a version of soba made with green tea blended in, to somen, a Korean thin wheat-based noodle. Try any long thin noodle, about the same diameter as capellini pasta.

Gochugaru vs Gochujang

Both gochugaru and gochujang are made from bright red Korean chili pepper, but are different formats. Gochugaru refers to the dried chili powder form that can range from fine powder to coarse flakes. Gochujang refers to a fermented condiment/paste made from very fine gochugaru along with other ingredients like rice flour, sweetener, and salt. You need both for this recipe.

Here are the brands I use:

Gochugaru. Gochugaru is a bright red Korean chili pepper powder made from a specific variety of Korean chili pepper. Its heat level ranges, but gochugaru is generally considered a medium spicy chili powder. Look for gochugaru that is made from Korean peppers that are sun-dried, and for this recipe specifically, a coarse grind, or flakes, not a fine powder. You can find gochugaru in Korean grocery stores like H-Mart and other Asian grocery stores. I have also seen some independent, new-ish spice companies like this and this at Whole Foods. This organic brand and the one in the photo above, purchased at HMart, are currently what I have in my pantry.

Gochujang. Gochujang is a Korean hot pepper paste made by fermenting chili peppers with rice and/soybeans. This brand is sweetened with tapioca syrup rather than corn syrup, and does not contain wheat in the ingredients, though the label indicates that it's made in a facility that also processes wheat.

Best Ways to Use Gochujang

Additional Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Asian pear. Asian pears are softball-size, light brown pears that have crisp, hydrating texture, more similar to an apple than a regular pear and are available in Asian markets, sometimes at Whole Foods. If you can't find Asian pear, use a sweet variety of regular apples like Fuji.

Apple Cider or Rice Vinegar. Any brand of apple cider vinegar works. This generic store brand of organic ACV is the most affordable where I shop. This is the well-known apple cider vinegar brand that's available everywhere. I use this organic brown rice vinegar.

Soy sauce or Tamari. I use tamari, which is Japanese-style soy sauce that has little or no wheat. Therefore, tamari can be gluten-free, though not always. If you eat gluten-free, make sure to read labels. I use this organic gluten-free tamari. This brand is also great.

Sesame oil. Look for toasted sesame oil, which has a darker color and a deeper umami flavor. This is a reliable Japanese brand that I've been using since I was a kid. There are now many brands of toasted sesame seed oil available, even organic version, at regular grocery stores.

Maple Syrup. Most of the sweetness for the Gochujang Vinaigrette comes from the Asian pear, but if you need extra, add organic maple syrup like this, or any other sweetener of your choice.

Sesame seeds. Sesame seeds add texture and when toasted, a layer of umami in addition to the toasted sesame oil. You can buy sesame seeds plain or toasted. Make sure the seeds are toasted. Otherwise, toss them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds or until they are fragrant.

Onions, garlic, ginger and all other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market.

Additional Vegetables for Soba Noodle Salad

You can use any vegetable that offers some degree of crunch and adds a lot of color! Here are some ideas:

• Sugar snap peas, sliced on the extreme bias (lengthwise)
• Napa or green cabbage
• Red or green bell pepper
• Sprouts of any kind
• Red onions
• Pickled red onions
• Lightly blanched broccoli
• Sautéed shiitake mushrooms
• Chopped kimchi

Pro-Tips for Spicy Soba Noodle Salad

Make the salad a full, light meal by adding more protein:

• roasted Ginger Sesame Tofu
• boiled eggs
• shredded cooked chicken

Soba Noodle Salad is also great as a side dish for simple seared salmon.

Tools and Equipment You Need

There are no special tools required for this recipe. You only need a stable cutting board and a sharp knife because there's quite a bit of vegetable prep. Here are a few of the other tools I use when making this recipe, all of which you probably already have.

• salad spinner
• vegetable wash
• over-sink colander that CHANGED MY LIFE to wash vegetables and drain cooked soba noodles
• regular stainless steel colander
• Y vegetable peeler
• Boos block extra large cutting board
• chef's knife the one I use every single day for almost every situation
• garlic press
• mini whisk to making Gochujang or other dressing

Best Soba Noodle and Buckwheat Noodle Recipes

• Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
• Bibim Naeng Myeon | Chilled Buckwheat Noodles with Spicy Sauce
• Kimchi Soba Noodle Salad
• Mul Naeng Myun Recipe | Chilled Buckwheat Noodles in Iced Broth
• Ginger Scallion Meatballs and Soba Noodles in Broth
• Ginger Miso Soba Noodle Soup

Best Dressings for Soba Noodle Salad

• Gochujang Sauce, spicy, earthy, deeply umami with gochujang
• Bibim Naeng Myeon Sauce, use the sauce from this famous, traditional Korean cold noodle salad
• Ginger Miso Dressing
• Sesame Soy Vinaigrette
• Cilantro Lime Dressing isn't the first, second, or even third flavor profile I'd think of for a Soba Noodle Salad because Cilantro Lime leans Mexican for me, and soba noodles feel Asian. But I saw someone on social media drizzle Cilantro Lime over soba noodles and why wouldn't we combine flavors of any kind that taste good and are available to us?

Gochujang Dressing

The recipe for Gochujang Dressing here is enough for the Soba Noodle Salad recipe above that serves 4. For more detailed information about gochujang, the other ingredients in the dressing recipe, and how else to use the dressing, check out this post dedicated to Gochujang Dressing.

Gochujang is a spicy fermented Korean red chile pepper condiment/sauce/paste. It has a similar texture to miso. I think of gochujang as more of a deep, low spicy, as opposed to say the high-toned spicy of sriracha. There is no substitute for gochujang. People will tell you to use sriracha or chili oil in place of gochujang. These are all SO HUGELY DIFFERENT in taste and texture I couldn't, in good conscience, suggest you to make that substitution. It would be like telling someone that ketchup and marinara are good substitutes because they're both made of tomatoes. This is the brand of gochujang I use, available at H-Mart and online. It has no corn syrup and no wheat (which is sometimes used to ferment and for texture).