Bravo to Buckwheat
Buckwheat is one of those foodstuffs which is sorely unappreciated. It doesn’t appear on too many menus or as a featured ingredient, and most people mistakenly think of it as just another grain. In terms of the botanical, buckwheat is actually a fruit though often referred to as a ‘pseudograin‘ because of it’s grain-like qualities. Yet another reason to sing its praises is that buckwheat is (like quinoa and rice) naturally gluten-free, making it a safe food for coeliacs.
There are a few buckwheat dishes in Korean cuisine, one being a jelly made from buckwheat flour (which is another post in itself), but my favourite is a cold noodle dish which goes down a treat in summer!
Buckwheat noodles are called soba in Japanaese cuisine, and in Korean are called ‘meh-mil’ - you should be able to buy them under either name in most Asian grocery stores, and it’s quite worthwhile having them in the pantry as they are versatile and go well in most noodle soups (though they do seem to go better in cold dishes rather than hot ones).
Cold Mixed Buckwheat Noodles
Ingredients (to serve 2)
200g buckwheat noodles
1-2 medium sized carrots, grated
1 Lebanese cucumber (or any other thin skinned variety)
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
2 medium sized tomatoes, sliced
2 boiled eggs
4 tbsp gochujjang*
1 tbsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 scant tsp dashi powder*
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
*Gochujjang is a thick chilli paste used in Korean cuisine. Wikipedia says it is “a spicy Korean condiment, made from glutinous rice powder (also called sticky rice powder, it is the stuff used to make mochi) mixed with powdered fermented soybeans, red chili powder, and salt, and fermented, traditionally in the sun. Other grains can be substitued for the glutinous rice, including normal rice, wheat, and barley. A small amount of sweetener, such as sugar, syrup, or honey is also sometimes added. It is a dark, reddish paste with a rich, spicy flavour.”
*Dashi powder is just Japanese soup stock powder, and can be found in both vegetarian and meaty varieties (commonly used ones are made from Konbu/seaweed, fish or beef)
1. Boil water and then add the noodles, cook till they are just a little past al dente (maybe 1-2 minutes after they reach the al dente point), rinse immediately in cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain in a colander.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the gochujjang, sesame oil, caster sugar and dashi and taste - it should be a smooth and liquidy, tasting quite hot and sweet. Put aside.
3. Take the drained noodles and dump into a large mixing bowl with all the prepared vegetables. Add half the chilli mix and mix everything through, making sure to coat all the noodles in the chilli sauce evenly. Taste one of the noodles and if you think it needs more sauce, add more.
4. Serve in individual bowls, sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds and top with a boiled egg.
Served cold, this is a beautiful summer dish as it is quite refreshing despite the fiery nature of the chilli sauce
The crucial parts of this dish are the sauce and the noodles, in terms of veggies you’d really be able to add almost any mild-flavoured vegetable that can be enjoyed raw. I didn’t have any on hand the day I made this, but fresh bean shoots work marvellously here, providing a little extra sweetness and crunch 
Technorati Tags: buckwheat, soba, Korean cuisine, summer cooking, noodles
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Comments
Kat Looks great and I didn’t know that these noodles were gluten free either. Learning something new everyday!
ilva I love soba noodles, I wish I had been there to share your meal when when you had made that dish, it looks so good!
gattina What a beautiful blog you have! And your dishes are just lovely!
Ellie, I’ve just tagged you for the Butterful Effect Meme, hope you like to join 
Lisa There are so many dishes that you make that I drool over but can’t make for myself because of the spice. *sob* This one is just too much as I’ve got a packet of soba noodles in my pantry and have been searching for a recipe to use them with. I want this! 
So here’s my questions.. hehe How do I tame the spice in your recipes. Especially the ones with the pastes that are already spicy - is there any substitutions? Also.. for the Dashi powder could I use either beef stock or beef granules disolved in a small amount of water? Or am I way off on what Dashi powder is?
As per usual, muh luvvvv.. excellent post and picture!
Ellie Kalyn - Glad you like it 
It’s the same thing as soba noodles, just with a different name in Korean. You have to be careful when buying the noodles though, as whilst the noodles I buy are 100% buckwheat flour, apparantly it’s still a good idea to check the ingredients of the products you buy in case they’ve added wheat flour to it on the sly!
Kat - Hehehe, it’s a pretty handy thing to know I used to be friends with a girl who was a coeliac, so I learnt a lot about gluten-free foods during that time!
Ilva - Thanks hon It’s one of my fave summer dishes as it literally takes about 15 minutes to put together but is unbelievably refreshing, filling and healthy
Gattina - Thank you, I’m glad you like it! And I saw that you got the feed thing fixed on your blog - which makes me v. happy as I rely on feeds to keep track of tasty blogs such as yours I’d love to take part in the meme, I’ll put something up soon!
Lis - !! Nooo! You should be able to get many of the spices from a Chinese grocery store, but the specific Korean flavours such as the chilli paste can’t really be replicated 
However, a care package winging it’s way over could take care of it for a little while
Ari (Baking and Books) How on earth do you manage to post so many fantastic things so frequently? Damn woman! Once again, looks delicious.
Ellie Paz - It’s an easy dish, and in NY you should be able to find all the vital ingredients at a Korean grocery store You should give it a try!
Ari - LOL! To be honest, I rarely eat out or eat take-out or instant meals, so cooking is a constant in my household Glad you like the look of this!
Ivonne - Ahh, it’s definetely worth a try! Buckwheat flour is, like wholemeal flour, more textured and the final result is more chewy, but I think it’s a great thing to have in the pantry I’d start with buckwheat pancakes, they’re a nice introduction if you want something sweet rather than savoury!
Peabody - Ahh, the spicey thing could definetely be an issue, my tastebuds are quite good with chilli but only because I’ve been eating it since I was about 2
neil That looks really tasty. Polish people use buckwheat as well, not in noodles but in a cracked grain form, like a coarse, brown cous cous. BJP International sell it in packets ready for boiling, they say something like for twenty minutes but it should be more like twelve. It has that really nutty flavour and is great with strong tasting stews or casseroles.
Ellie Neil - Oo, I’ve never seen buckwheat in that form before, sounds like an interesting new ingredient to try Will check it out!
Lady Lunchalot Oh, Ellie, that looks great! You reminded me of some buckwheat pancakes I used to make years ago. They were quite thick and heavy, not like light fluffy pancakes, but they were great with honey and lemon. I’ll have to dig up that recipe again…
Ellie LL - Ahh, buckwheat pancakes are fantastic, I like light and fluffy ones but when you want something a bit more substantial, those heavy buckwheat ones taste a treat!
Brilynn - In which case, I think you’d lurrrve this one!
Bea at La Tartine Gourmande This recipe looks so good! I wish I had been there. Love soba noddles. Just do not make them enough!
Helen I love buckwheat noodles and I have been craving a big ol’ bowl of some cold ones…my favorite hangover food (yes, it happens to me too).
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Ellie Bea - Soba noodles are fantastic, and bring a lot to this dish Glad you like it!
Helen - Ahh, they are definetely a good hangover food, the freshness is very cleansing! My pleasure
ilingc Hi Ellie, I am not a big fan of buckwheat soba but looking at this is actually making me hungry! Is gochujjang a chilli paste thing in sold in a bright red container??
Ellie Iling - I’m not really a fan of soba with naught but that dressing sauce that you buy (my dad is addicted to the stuff), but in a salad with a hefty dressing like this one, it works pretty darn well And yes, the gochjjang is sold in a bright red container, if you go to either of the two Korean grocery stores at The Glen and ask for Korean chilli paste, they’ll lead you straight to it
karen oh man! these were always my favorite when eating out in a korean restaurant! cant wait to make it at home! yum yum.
This looks fantastic. Your photos look great. I didn’t know that buckwheat is gluten free. Is this the same thing as soba noodles?