Soba noodles are something I honestly forgot about, but every now and then I get these little pings where an ingredient or recipe suddenly must be in my life. That was this dish.

Interestingly, I am a huge buckwheat fan (bet no one has ever said that before). I love buckwheat flour, toasted buckwheat, and I’ve even started making my own fermented buckwheat pancakes from the whole raw groat rather than ready-made flour.

So of course soba noodles – which can be made from 100% buckwheat (my personal pick) or a combination of buckwheat and wheat – were instantly added to my cart once I remembered they existed.

It feels a bit funny calling this a salad. I’m still not entirely convinced anything involving noodles or pasta can be considered a salad. Yet here I am, with a soba noodle salad. And actually, it kind of feels right, especially since it’s meant to be served at room temperature.

This is such a good dish alongside some grilled fish, or really any protein. Even tofu would be lovely. And of course, it’s perfection on its own too. It’s a great one for feeding a crowd too.

A few tips

• I go for 100% buckwheat soba noodles (not all soba noodles are), which keeps the recipe gluten-free. I use the Spiral Foods ones. Cook them according to the packet instructions and rinse under cool water afterwards. 100% buckwheat noodles can easily stick, break apart or clump together if they’re not cooked properly, so this step is important.
• In this recipe I call for julienned carrot. It may sound fancy, but I just use something called a julienne peeler – a tip from my old food styling days. It peels the carrot into lovely long, thin strands, and I promise you’ll get good use out of it.
• Don’t skip the fresh ginger. The recipe really needs it (plus, I just love fresh ginger).