Soba Noodle Salad with Pearl Oyster Mushrooms

This Quick and Easy Vegan Soba Noodle Salad With Pearl Oyster Mushrooms Delivers Oodles Of Umami Flavour. To Heighten the Senses, Finish it Off With A Refreshing Wasabi Dressing.

Who Loves a Quick Asian Salad Recipe?

I am a big fan of simple Asian recipes with loads of flavour. As a work from home mum and chasing after 3 kids, I need quick Asian salad recipes in my locker all the time. They are big fans of noodles. I am a big fan of pearl oyster mushrooms. So why not combine the two for a gluten free salad?

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and have a more earthy taste than standard wheat or rice noodles. They are gluten-free and easy to cook, making it versatile for many families with coeliac disease.

Mushrooms have always been known as “meat” for vegetarians as they are loaded with iron and have a meaty texture when cooked. Combined with soba noodles, they make an excellent hearty gluten-free salad with loads of umami flavour.

What is Pearl Oyster Mushroom?

For this vegan soba noodle salad recipe, I chose to use pearl oyster mushrooms, but any combination of mushrooms would work. The name pearl oyster mushrooms refers to the shape of the funghi. It has a broad fan-like or smooth oyster shape cap and cream gills underneath.

Pearl oyster mushrooms have a more delicate flavour compared to shiitake or shimeji mushrooms. Although you can consume pearl oyster mushrooms raw, I prefer them to be cooked. A great addition to ramen, stir-fries and of course, salads.

If you can’t find pearl oyster mushrooms at your local Asian grocery or supermarket, you can substitute them using enoki, shimeji, baby oyster, swiss brown or even white button mushrooms. You don’t have to use just one variety of mushroom, a mix would be very tasty as well. For you real mushroom lovers, our mushroom pairing profile can help you mix it up and create some stunning salad recipes.

I cooked the pearl oyster mushrooms first before tossing together with soba noodles and seasoned it with classic Japanese flavours, tamari and mirin.

What is Mirin, you ask?

Mirin is similar to sake but a little more subtle with less alcohol content and higher sugar levels. It adds the distinct sweet umami flavour to many classic Japanese dishes. If you don’t have it, a dry white wine will work as a mirin substitute or a rice wine vinegar but please dial up the sugar in the dish to balance the sour.

However, nothing really compares so rather than having a mirin substitute, why not just have it in your pantry. You will discover so many new dressings and sauces with mirin. It is a staple in ours.

Why We Love Soba Noodle Salad with Pearl Oyster Mushrooms

My kids have quite a number of activities after school, and this is one Asian salad recipe I can easily prepare in advance. Just dress the soba noodle salad when ready to eat. Sometimes I gently heat up for a warm noodle salad, but this savoury vegan recipe can be devoured cold.

I love the earthy comfort of pearl oyster mushrooms and soba noodles with pops of crunchy edamame beans, all tied together with a pungent wasabi dressing to heighten the senses.

If you love noodle salads as much as we do, try our Rainbow Vermicelli Salad with Soy Dressing, Wombok, Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw or Gochujang Chicken Salad with Noodles and Tofu.

How to Make Mirin Mushroom and Soba Noodle Salad with Wasabi Dressing

How to Cook Soba Noodles

Check the packaging of your soba noodles to cook as each brand may vary on cooking time. I prefer to slightly undercook my soba noodles than to overcook as they may become a gluggy mess.

Place dried soba noodles in a medium saucepan of boiling water. Stirring occasionally so the noodles don’t stick. Cook until al dente, it should not take more than 2-3 minutes.

Drain soba noodles and make sure you give the noodles a good rinse with cold water. This removes any excess starch. Place in a large mixing bowl and add a few drops of sesame oil so the noodles don’t stick.

How to Cook the Mushrooms

For this vegan soba noodle salad, I have used pearl oyster mushrooms. Still, any combination of mushrooms would work including shimeji, enoki, baby oyster, swiss brown or even white button mushrooms. You can use one variety or give it a mix.

Give pearl oyster mushrooms a good rinse under water. Make sure there is no dirt left on the mushrooms. Pull the mushrooms apart to smaller pieces. Use a paper towel to pat dry mushrooms.

Heat up a medium fry pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to coat the fry pan and then add mushrooms. Spread the mushrooms out on the frypan so they are not crowded. Gently fry for 3 minutes or until lightly brown. Add seasoning including mirin, Nuttelex, sake, tamari and sesame oil. Cook for another 1-2 minutes for the mushrooms to absorb the liquid.

Remove from heat and set aside for assembly.

I use Nuttelex at home as my butter table spread. Nuttelex is a non-dairy substitute for butter. If you don’t have Nuttelex, you can substitute it for butter which would be fine if you don’t need to serve a vegan dish.

If you don’t have tamari, you can replace it with light soy sauce; however, then this will no longer be a gluten-free salad as soy sauce contains wheat. Tamari can be easily bought at most supermarkets.

(Side note – the savoury, buttery flavours of the pan-fried mushrooms would be AH-mazing with a bowl of hot steamed rice as well. Just saying for another meal. HA.)

How To Make The Rest of The Salad

Edamame beans add a fresh, crunchy element to this vegan soba noodle salad. They are fresh, young soybeans and are packed with protein. Where can I buy edamame beans? They are available at most Asian grocery stores in the freezer section. Some bigger supermarkets may also stock them. You can purchase them deshelled/hulled or still in its shell.

I bought edamame beans for this vegan soba noodle salad already hulled. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil, add a pinch of salt and then add hulled edamame beans. Cook for 5 minutes and then drain. Rinse with cold water and set aside for assembly.

Wash and roughly chop the coriander.

Thinly cut spring onions (scallions) into slices. Use both the green and white part of the onion. Set aside.

How to Make Wasabi Dressing

You might know wasabi as the Japanese green spicy paste that comes pre-prepared from a tube or made with water mixed with a green powder and served as a condiment in Japanese cuisine, normally alongside sushi and sashimi.

We don’t often see wasabi in its true form as it is very hard to grow. Wasabi, also known as Japanese horseradish, is a part of the Brassicaceae family where you will find horseradish, radishes and mustard. All have the same peppery heat. The part used for wasabi paste is the rhizome (or the root stem of the plant).

To serve fresh wasabi, it is usually grated at the time of eating as the flavour and heat of wasabi is fleeting and can disappear after 15 minutes. It pairs well with raw fish as it is pungent but also delicate enough to let the flavour of the raw fish shine through.

I’ve never had the chance to try freshly grated wasabi but we do love wasabi flavour in our family. My kids find it amusing to have the intense heat shoot through the sinuses. The signature wasabi flavour has definitely grown in popularity, and it can be used to spice up any recipe. You can find wasabi flavoured peas, mayonnaise, chips, chocolate and even a cocktail!

As much as we love to have fresh wasabi, this wasabi dressing uses pre-prepared wasabi paste. This would still classify as a gluten-free salad dressing but always check the wasabi packaging to be sure.

You can definitely adjust the level of wasabi in this dressing to your taste. The quantity of wasabi shown in the recipe will give a good kick, but please add more if you like more heat.

If you have wasabi powder instead of pre-prepared wasabi paste in a tube, prepare wasabi paste as per instructions on the packet.

Add tamari, water, wasabi paste and lemon juice together in a small bowl and whisk together.

How To Assemble The Salad

Place soba noodles, edamame beans, mushrooms and half the chopped coriander and spring onion in a large mixing bowl. Then add half the wasabi dressing into noodle salad and toss together.

Transfer salad into a large serving dish. Scatter remaining chopped coriander and spring onion and finish with sesame seeds.

Drizzle remaining wasabi dressing on top. Have some extra wasabi paste on the side so that everyone can spice up their dressing as they please.

This Japanese inspired soba noodle salad can be a vegan main meal in itself so you could serve into 4 individual bowls rather than one large one. It will also be a fantastic side dish with miso baked salmon or sticky grilled chicken.

The earthy flavours of mirin mushroom works a treat with gluten-free soba noodles. Plus with the refreshing lemony wasabi dressing makes this a deliciously easy noodle salad to prepare.

That’s all!

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More Salad with Mushrooms:

King Oyster Mushroom Salad with Yellow Beans

Marinated Japanese Mushroom Salad with Sesame Spinach

Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms, Lotus Root and Brown Rice Salad

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