King Soba with Vegetables

I regret that it took me so long to open the package of King soba noodles, that I got at Gluten Free Expo last year, and cook several simple, yet delicious meals using variety of vegetables. I like to cook noodles or pasta with plenty of vegetables, so the dish is better considered as vegetables, supplemented with noodles for more sustained nourishment. Using mushrooms as protein source and the mix of olive and coconut oil to cook vegetables makes the dish not only gluten free, but vegan as well.

But if vegan option is not nourishing enough for you, you can add strips of any cooked poultry meat, or as in our case some moist ham of the bone.

I have found that using coconut oil to gently fry onions or leek with a pinch of cumin and caraway seeds, provides enough flavour for the dish. Medium heat chilli peppers are added, together with sesame seeds, to serve the dish. They give it extra texture and intensify the flavour.

King soba noodles are gluten free, as is not always the case with other brands soba noodles. They are cooked quickly and have very gentle and delicate flavour. The best advice how to cook them is on the package. As they are cooked in 4-5 minutes, if started at the same time as cooking vegetables, they have to be rinsed in cold water and when vegetables are ready, simply added to the mix. The overall taste of the dish is simply amazing. Even my husband, who does not like any pasta or noodles dishes, requested me to make it again and again, until contents of the package has gone. He said it was the best noodles/pasta dish he ever had. For me, I do not have to add anything, as I love noodles and pasta, but buckwheat, as always, won my taste buds vote over any other noodles.

I have found the name of the product very appropriate – King soba, King soba it is. Buckwheat and quinoa mixed together always result in superior product. I sincerely recommend trying this product. I am not sure you can get it in shops, but it can be bought online. As the ratio of noodles to vegetables in the dishes I prepared was 1:2 or even 1:3, the package lasted for 3 meals of 2 servings each.

Ingredients:

option 1

• 2 baby leeks, sliced in semi-circles
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 6-7 mushrooms, sliced
• olive and coconut oil
• pinch of cumin and caraway seeds
• sesame seeds
• fresh coriander
• medium heat chilli (I used with seeds)
• sea salt and black pepper

option 2

• 1 baby leek
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 medium zucchini
• olive and coconut oil
• pinch of cumin and caraway seeds
• sesame seeds
• sea salt and black pepper

optional

• medium heat chilli (I used with seeds)
• strips of turkey/chicken/ham

Preparation:

• cook soba as advised on the package, I cooked it for 4 minutes (a little under-cooked), rinsed with cold water and left it until added to the pan with cooked vegetables
• heat olive and coconut oil in a deep pan, add cumin and caraway seeds
• add leek, sliced in semi-circles, cook on medium heat until semi translucent
• add other vegetables from the list, taking into consideration their cooking time
• the option with peas and carrots takes more time to be cooked, zucchini slices added at the very end of cooking
• use the lid or add a little water to the pan if needed
• fresh coriander and soba noodles are added at the same time, it takes only 1 minute to reheat noodles for the dish to be ready to serve
• sprinkle with sesame seeds and add slices of chilli with or without seeds