Japanese · lunch, dinner
Cold Soba with Pork, Kimchi and Sesame Dip
Video by Cooking with Dog on YouTube · Open on YouTube
- Gluten-free with a swap: Most soba contains some wheat flour, so use 100% buckwheat (juwari) soba and a tamari-based or certified gluten-free tsuyu
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Contains: Gluten, Fish, Sesame, Soy. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.
Buckwheat soba with thin pork poached rather than fried, raw cucumber, onion and sprouts, and kimchi: about 23 g of protein, rich in selenium and vitamin B6 and a source of fibre and iron, with only ½ tsp of oil.
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Ingredients 10
Method
Tap a time to watch that step in the video.
- Slice the red onion thinly and soak it in ice water to soften its bite. Peel the cucumber in stripes, halve it lengthwise and slice thinly on the diagonal. Trim the roots from the radish sprouts and cut them in half. Squeeze the onion dry. 0:17
- Make the dipping sauce: loosen the sesame paste with a little soba tsuyu, add the rest in 2–3 additions so it does not separate, then stir in the grated ginger. 1:11
- Put the frozen soba into a pot of boiling water, loosen it on high heat, then turn off the heat. Lift out, rinse under cold water, chill in iced water and squeeze out the water. Toss with the sesame oil. 1:42
- Stir the pork slices in the same hot water until they turn white, drain well on paper towel and cut into bite-size pieces. 2:49
- Arrange the kimchi, red onion, cucumber and pork on the noodles and top with the sprouts. Dip each mouthful into the chilled sesame sauce. 3:20
Tip. Dried soba (about 70 g dry) works instead of frozen; cook, rinse and chill it the same way. The cook also suggests toasted nori or natto as toppings.
The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.
One serve gives you 1 of 1
Where the energy comes from one serve
- Net carbs 47%
- Protein 27%
- Fat 26%
For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here
Lower-carb idea. About 89% of the 40 g of net carbs come from the frozen soba noodles. To cut carbs, try shirataki or zucchini noodles instead, or half the noodles and more vegetables.
One serve has about 51% of a day’s sodium. Use less salt, stock or sauce, or a reduced-salt version, to bring it down.
Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more
Selenium High51%
28 µg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (54%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.
Vitamin B6 High26%
0.4 mg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (52%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.
Vitamin K Source17%
20 µg a serve, mostly from kimchi (65%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.
Iron Source16%
2.9 mg a serve, mostly from frozen soba noodles (31%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.
Zinc Source14%
1.6 mg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (58%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.
Magnesium Source13%
55 mg a serve, mostly from frozen soba noodles (30%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.
Folate Source12%
48 µg a serve, mostly from kimchi (33%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.
Vitamin B12 Source11%
0.3 µg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.
Show the other 7
Potassium9%
420 mg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (34%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.
Calcium5%
61 mg a serve, mostly from white sesame paste (35%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.
Vitamin C4%
3.7 mg a serve, mostly from red onion (40%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.
Omega-33%
0.1 g a serve, mostly from white sesame paste (38%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.
Vitamin D1%
0.2 µg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (100%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.
Vitamin E1%
0.2 mg a serve, mostly from very thin pork loin (44%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.
Vitamin A0%
3.5 µg a serve, mostly from kimchi (43%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works
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Recipe and video by Cooking with Dog; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.