Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu

Start meatless Monday healthy yet delicious with bowl of lite soba noodles and garlicky spinach stir-fry with nutty sesame oil aroma and sweet-n-sour coconut-lime tofu.

Posted On: May, 9 |  Author:
Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu
Diet Info: DF GF F LF Na LS VG V Fa

This sesame garlic soba noodles and spinach stir fry with sweet and lemony coconut-lime tofu is perfect to start meatless Monday fit and healthy. In just 15 minutes from kitchen to dinner tables, this quick dinner can fit in any schedule! 

In my family, not just dinner, this vegan noodle bowl is also for lunch (often). Buckwheat soba noodles soak-in flavor of soy sauce, fresh garlic, ginger, chili, and nutty sesame oil... making them a perfect Asian style noddle-stir-fry. Really, you won't believe, how few simple pantry ingredients transform humble noodles to a take-out style meal....only healthier.

I love buckwheat noodles because cook in just 3-4 minutes (oh yes, you reading correct, only 3-4 minutes) and are not heavy like other wheat or egg-based Asian noodles. Where quick cooking promise make me reach for buckwheat soba instead of any other noodles.... their delicious texture make me look forward to devour this noodle bowl. 

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with garlicky spinach and coconut lime tofu | chefdehome.com

To cook the soba noodles, I always use unsalted water. I start by heating water in a shallow pan (mostly). Why shallow? Well, just because water boils quickly in shallow pan and soba noodles only need 3-4 minutes cooking. By the time water is in state to boil over, noodles are already ready to drain.

For stir-fries, I drain the noodles and add'em directly to stir-fry before adding the sauce. Adding sauce on top of noodles help'em absorb a lots of flavor from the sauce. If I add sauce before adding noodles, often tangled parts of noodles remain unseasoned and do not taste flavorful. From sauce I mean, Asian noodle sauces, like mix of soy sauce, chili, lime juice, and sesame oil in this recipe.

There something in combination of simple soy, ginger and garlic with hint of chili and lime which is hard to resist. Sesame oil, is like cherry on the top, brings everything together. My idea is, if you ever in hurry and don't know what to cook for dinner. Trust on these 6 ingredients with soba noodles or any Asian noodle of your choice and your family will ask for 2 servings. :) (make a bigger batch!)

One day I will have so many variations of sesame chili soba noodles recipes on my blog that it will hard to pick a favorite.

Vegan Meatless Monday Dinner of delicious and healthy Soba Noodles stir fry with spinach and coconut lime tofu | chefdehome.com

Today's recipe is my favorite for one more reason:  Sweet and Lemony Coconut-Lime Tofu!

For the record, whenever, I saute coconut-lime tofu for these noodles stir-fry, half of it is gone before I serve it. I must mention, coconut-lime tofu can be a great snack on it's own.  If you never got chance to try coconut and lime together, I highly recommend trying this tofu.   

Now, imagine a bowl of warm and lite soba noodles and garlicky spinach stir-fry with nutty sesame oil aroma and sweet-n-sour coconut-lime tofu to dig-in?! Who will say "no" to this homemade dinner?!

Saving you from ordering take-out, spending money first day of the week, and yet enjoying healthy dinner are some of the pure bonuses!

Speaking of healthy, let's look at the diet-information for this meatless dinner:

1. Gluten Free - These noodles can be are gluten free. Just use gluten free tamari soy sauce instead of regular and make sure to buy buckwheat soba noodles without wheat content or use rice noodles.
2. Vegan - This meatless noodle bowl is vegan. Not even a touch of diary or no animal-product in this meal. Read ingredients on chili paste to look for no anchovies or no fish sauce. If in doubt, use minced thai chili instead.
Other than vegan, this delicious noodle bowl has good serving of calcium from spinach and protein from tofu.

Vegan Meatless Monday Dinner with Soba Noodles bowl loaded healthy spinach and sweet and sour coconut lime tofu | chefdehome.com

Hoping these noodles will make to your dinner table tonight! :) Wish you a wonderful day ahead!

Cheers! -Savita

Like Tofu? Try these vegan and delicious recipes with tofu!

Tofu and Sweet Potato Fries Shawarma Salad Bowl with Onion Ring Croutons BBQ Tofu Fiesta Salad with Tangy Lime-Cream Dressing Chipotle Sofritas - Chipotle Mexican Grill's Braised Sofritas Copycat

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu

4.7 (3 reviews)
Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu
Total Time: Prep Time: Cook Time: Cuisine: Asian () Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 3-4 Serving - Serves: 3
(No. of servings depends on serving size.)

Ingredients

Noodles with Spinach
Coconut-Lime Tofu

Directions

  • Step for Recipe - Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 1. Ready the ingredients. Also, drain and press tofu in paper towel with weight on top for 10 minutes. In meantime, in a medium bowl, mix coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well. Slice pressed tofu into small cubes, add to marinade, coat well and set aside.
    Step for Recipe - Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 2. To cook soba noodles - Soba noodles cook very fast. Boil water a shallow or deep pan, add noodles (don't add salt) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Additional Notes: If in doubt, follow the soba noodles cooking directions on the package.
  • Step for Recipe - Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 3. Heat a wok, add a tbsp oil. Add marinated tofu (drain excess coconut marinade), and fry until light brown from all sides. (3-4 minutes)(If you don't have wok, a non-stick pan works perfect for tofu.) Add ginger, garlic and spinach and saute for more 2 minutes. Kill the heat..
    Step for Recipe - Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 4. Add drained noodles to the pan with soy sauce, sesame oil, half sesame seeds, lime juice, and chili paste (or thai chili or both as per spicy you like).
  • Step for Recipe - Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 5. Toss well. Adjust salt (if needed). Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds on top. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Savita's Notes:

Please note buckwheat is naturally gluten free but the Hakubaku Organic Soba Noodles which I used for this recipe have wheat content. If you are allergic to gluten, please buy no-wheat soba noodles or use rice noodles instead.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @SAVITACHEFDEHOME on Instagram and hashtag it #SAVITACHEFDEHOME

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6 Responses

  1. I’m rating in the hopes others will try it. My review is long over due - I’ve been making this every few weeks for YEARS. My husbands added statement is that he always feels very clean after eating it. For convenience, we use the alternate suggestion of chili paste, we also include lime zest from the fresh limes that are squeezed for their juice. This recipe is a great, great way to use leftover spinach from salad and so other meals. Because it cooks down, you can also use fresh bagged spinach that you've had to freeze to avoid waste, with no noticeable difference to the times when we use a fresh bag.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  2. Hi This was really yummy.I did tweak it a bit.But the coconut milk gave the whole dish a very nice flavor! I added some coriander -cumin powder too to give it a curry like taste and also added the leftover marinade and another 2-3 spoons of coconut milk to the noodles.The noodles stayed soft and nice and I did not have to add much of oil too! I used soba noodles and it was so filling! I added other veggies too-feeding 2 hungry teens as well. Thanks for the recipe!
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  3. I loved this super easy and quick meal!! Thank you for sharing. I'll be watching your blog and FB page for other yummy recipes!
    ★ ★ ★ ★
    I'm happy to share, Suzy. Also, glad that you like it. You will find lot more easy recipes to make here. I hope, I'll see you around.
  4. Love tofu and these days I add it all indian curries. I don't know about buckwheat noodles but will try this recipe with hakka noodles. thanks for delicious recipes, Savita!
    thanks, Neeli! Well, tofu is my fav addition in curries as well. I'm not so sure about hakka noodles but this noodle sauce goes great with rice noodles.