People like to ask me “what’s your favorite recipe?” and I never have an answer. My “favorite” is often what’s most recent and/or what’s coming up next…
But this one combines two definite favorites – blistered shishito peppers (which I usually make as an appetizer), and one of my go-to simple soba noodle recipes. Because my “favorites” are almost always the simple things.
I brought home a bunch of shishito peppers from the farmers market, but the base of this recipe is so versatile – feel free to sub in a star vegetable of your choice.
The noodles get tossed in a light sesame-soy dressing, and topped with avocado and sesame seeds. Sometimes I add sliced miso-broiled eggplant, or dengaku glazed cod or salmon. Other times, I pack it with sautéed greens and other veggies. I’ve probably never made this exactly the same way twice.
In other news – (holy crap!) check out my interview on Food & Wine! I talk about vegan food, beefy Chicago, matcha, and of course, tacos…
soba noodles with shishitos & avocado
- 6 ounces soba noodles
- a big handful of shishito peppers
- 2 tablespoons thinly chopped scallions
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 small ripe avocado + (optional) squeeze of lime
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- (optional) add a protien: tofu, edamame, salmon, etc
- Boil a medium sized pot of (salted) water and preheat a cast iron skillet or broiler.
- Cook soba noodles until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain, shake out excess water and transfer to a medium bowl.
- While your soba boils, roast shishito peppers in a (dry) preheated cast iron skillet or under the broiler. Let them roast until black and blistered (usually 8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Slice off the stems and coarsely chop the peppers, before tossing them in the bowl with the noodles.
- Toss noodles with scallions, chopped shishitos, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Top with sliced avocado (see tip below) and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add tofu or a protein of your choice to make this a bigger meal. Add a squeeze of sriracha to spice it up. Serve warm or at room temp.
you always have delicious looking salads.
This looks delicious! Hoping to stop by the farmers market on the way home to pick up some shishito peppers. In the off chance that they’re unavailable, can you recommend a good substitute?
Hi Tasha, padrone peppers are similar (although they can sometimes be more spicy, so try before you add too many!)… You can blister slices of red bell pepper which wouldn’t be the same as shishitos but still delicious. Non-pepper veggies work too – I made this with just some kale and edamame the other night. Hope that helps! 🙂
Such a beautiful, clean recipe! Thanks for reminding your readers of soba noodles! So much nutrition in buckwheat! A great investment in health and deliciously light and clean eating! Bravo!
There are so many places to get great soba noodles here in Bangkok that I never thought of making them myself. Your recipe changed my mind on that completely and I’m seeing soba noodles in our future (probably far more than my wife would wish).
You definitely hit my sweet spot with soba and shishitos. Oh the flavors! Beautiful photos by your man too 😉
ha, thanks Heidi – he’s getting good – even in the daylight 🙂
OK, you have inspired a crazy intense mission to track down some shishito peppers. I am a veggie nerd and have tried a number of unconventional produce items but have NEVER tried these before! Gorgeous photos, as usual!
ha, you have to! I just love them – maybe it’s a texas thing, but we have them (locally grown ones) all the time in the summer… they’re also a favorite of ours at restaurants in Japan (I see them often in town at many asian markets).
I have the same feeling about favorite dishes, but soba bowls with avocado are definitely high on the list. I love the blistered peppers in this bowl – going to have to pick some up at the market soon! This looks so light and refreshing!
Love the colors in this! Those noodles looks delicious. Beautiful shots, too!
Thanks! Jack is really stepping up his photography these days 🙂
What a lovely dish. Soba noodle bowls are so versatile and I love that you add avocado, I must try that next time. Look forward to reading your interview too!
thanks! I just love everything/anything with avocado and soba/sesame is such a nice pairing 🙂
I love me some soba noodles! I usually just go with a peanut sauce, but this looks so simple and lovely!
Me too! I actually sometimes add a scoop of peanut butter to this sesame dressing for a quick peanut sauce 🙂
Love this! Combines two of my favorite recipes into one dish- great combo!
This looks amazing! I’d never heard of shishitos before 🙂
they’re so good! Most are mild, they say one in every 10 is spicy… I just love them, but they have them at our farmers market all the time 🙂 (otherwise you can usually find them at asian markets).
I love soba noodles, don’t know why I don’t make them more. Definitely going to try this recipe!
Your food looks f***ing fabulous. We visited a stunning farmers market in Nashville and visited family there as well. You can read all about it here:
http://www.girlboyeatdrink.com/#!Our-Trip-To-Nashville/c23vy/0F34E915-2DAA-4272-B325-D31411D72AE8
Feel free to check it out and like us on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/girlboyeatdrinkblog
Congrats on the F&W feature! That’s so awesome! And this kind of recipe is exactly why your blog is, deservedly, so popular. It’s bright and fresh and vibrant and everything that I’m craving right now.
Thanks Kathryn, you’re so sweet 🙂
Gosh, I am loving this recipe!! The light in the photos + vibrant colors are jumping off the screen. I recently tried blistered shishito peppers for the first time. So good!!
I love shishito peppers, too, but never thought to combine it with avocado or soba noodles! Makes perfect sense now that I see it here. Great recipe!
I am in love with soba noodles and definitely need to give this a go!
I definitely don’t make enough soba and I loooove it! Totally trying this!
this looks so incredible, I love dishes like this and blistered shishitos – YES PLEASE!
I finally found some 100% buckwheat (so gluten-free) soba noodles, so I will be enjoying this soon enough 😉