While any noodle or pasta can be the basis of an excellent, quick weeknight meal, earthy soba noodles are some of my favorites. They cook in five minutes or less and taste best tossed with no-cook dressings and sauces. This time of year, I like to top soba with […]
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While any noodle or pasta can be the basis of an excellent, quick weeknight meal, earthy soba noodles are some of my favorites. They cook in five minutes or less and taste best tossed with no-cook dressings and sauces.
This time of year, I like to top soba with tender, lightly charred roasted eggplant. I coat the eggplant (I prefer slender Japanese eggplants, but a globe eggplant, cut into thin wedges, also works) with an umami-rich mixture of soy sauce, mirin and vegetable oil, which does double-duty as the soba sauce. From there, I roast the sauced eggplant in a two-stage process under the broiler — first under low heat to tenderize, and then under high heat to finish cooking and caramelize the surface.
You can boil the soba while the eggplant cooks. Take note of the ingredients before you add the noodles; pure buckwheat soba cooks very quickly and is quite delicate, while soba that includes wheat flour and other ingredients, such as sweet potato, will take an extra minute or two to turn tender. Either way, make sure to rinse the noodles under cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the soba from turning mushy.
Finish the dish with lime zest and juice. They brings brightness and acidity to counter the sweet, salty notes of the sauce.
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise, or 1 large globe eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into eighths lengthwise
- 12 ounces dried soba noodles
- 1 lime
- In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin and vegetable oil. Add the eggplant and toss to coat. Using your hands, smush the eggplant into the sauce so that the eggplant soaks up as much of the liquid as possible. Transfer eggplant to a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side up, leaving excess sauce in the bowl.
- Broil the eggplant on low for 10 minutes. Increase the broiler to high and continue to broil until the eggplant is tender and lightly charred, 10 to 15 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the soba and cook just until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. (Cooking time depends on the style of soba; pure buckwheat soba will cook more quickly than soba made with wheat flour.) Drain and rinse under cool water, then transfer to the bowl with the remaining soy sauce-mirin mixture. Toss gently to coat.
- Zest the lime into the bowl of soba noodles, then cut in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Toss gently.
- Divide the soba between four bowls. Top with the eggplant. Serve. Serves 4.
Per serving: Per serving: 410 calories (percent of calories from fat, 16), 16 grams protein, 76 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 1,989 milligrams sodium.
