Gordon Ramsay’s soba noodle salad is buckwheat noodles with blanched kale, sugarsnap peas and carrot ribbons in a sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and lemon dressing, ready in 10 minutes for around £1.40 per serving.
In Ultimate Home Cooking, Ramsay calls the dressing “a kind of Japanese vinaigrette” and gives ranges rather than fixed amounts: 1 to 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar, 1 to 1½ tablespoons of soy sauce. He wants you to taste and adjust until the balance is right for you. Most recipe sites skip this detail.
The clever step is adding the kale, sugarsnaps and carrot ribbons straight into the noodle water for the last minute of cooking. One pan, everything blanched at once. The vegetables stay crunchy because they only get 60 seconds. Pull them out late and everything goes limp.
Gordon Ramsay Soba Noodle Salad
Course: Salads, Sides4
servings5
minutes5
minutes10
minutesFrom Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking: buckwheat soba noodles with kale, sugarsnap peas and carrot ribbons in a Japanese vinaigrette of sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and lemon. One pan, 10 minutes, around £1.40 per serving.
Ingredients
300g (10½ oz) soba noodles
100g (3½ oz) kale, stalks removed, leaves shredded or torn
150g (5 oz) sugarsnap peas, topped and tailed, halved lengthways
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 to 2 tsp rice vinegar
1 to 1½ tbsp soy sauce
Juice of half a lemon
1 sheet of nori seaweed, finely sliced (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Cook the noodles: Cook the soba noodles according to the packet instructions. When almost cooked, add the kale, sugarsnap peas and carrot ribbons to the pan to blanch. Drain once the noodles are tender.
- Dress and serve: Add the spring onions, ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice and nori (if using) to the noodle mixture. Season with a little salt and pepper, stir well and serve.
FAQs
What is the most common mistake with soba noodles?
Overcooking. Soba noodles go from chewy to gummy in about a minute. Follow the packet time exactly and drain immediately. Buckwheat starch breaks down faster than wheat starch, so there is less margin for error than with regular pasta. If they clump after draining, run them under cold water briefly and toss with a drop of sesame oil.
Why does Ramsay recommend nori seaweed?
He says it “gives the finished dish a real depth of flavour.” Nori adds umami without fish sauce, which keeps the salad vegetarian. One sheet sliced into thin strips is enough for four servings. It also adds a savoury, sea-salt edge that ties the soy sauce and sesame oil together. Skip it if you prefer, but try it once first.
Does Ramsay have a second noodle salad?
In Ultimate Fit Food he makes a completely different South-East-Asian Noodle Salad using rice vermicelli, lime juice, fish sauce, chilli and toasted peanuts. That version is Thai-inspired and punchy. This soba version is Japanese-inspired and more subtle. The Fit Food version stores better because rice noodles hold their texture for up to three days.
Can you use udon or rice noodles instead?
Udon noodles are thicker and chewier, which makes the salad heavier and more filling. They work but change the character from light side dish to substantial bowl. Rice noodles are more slippery and hold less dressing, so you would need to increase the soy sauce and sesame oil slightly. Soba is the best choice because its nutty buckwheat flavour carries the dressing.
What should you serve soba noodle salad with?
Ramsay pairs it with teriyaki salmon from the same book, and the sweet glaze against the savoury noodles is a perfect match. It also works alongside pan-fried salmon or any grilled fish where you want an Asian-flavoured side that takes less time than cooking the main.
Does soba noodle salad keep well?
Better than most salads. The noodles absorb the dressing overnight but stay edible for two days in the fridge. Add a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce before eating leftovers to refresh the flavour. The kale holds up well, though the sugarsnaps lose some crunch. This makes it a solid option for packed lunches or meal prep. For more Asian-inspired salads from Ramsay, check the full list.
