KALE + SLIVERED BRUSSELS SPROUT SOBA NOODLES
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 3:26PM 
I typically work on Saturdays, but this past weekend I had the day to myself. The only plan I made was to get up to the farmers market and stop by my grandma's on the way home. I like going to the market alone. I can watch, listen, feel, observe without keeping a conversation or trying to hurry. I collected bags of greens, citrus, deliciously crispy and crazy expensive apples, lots of herbs - my usual loot. Weaving through the people, I swear that every passed mumur was about kale. If that market was any indication, the hype is not passing yet. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the word 'kale', I would have bought more of those apples. So, since I like it, and the general public is still pumped on the dark leafy green, I pulled this recipe from the new Deborah Madison cookbook, Vegetable Literacy, coming out in a few weeks.
The book is serious. It is serious in the beautiful way that the author is comitted to and passionate about her subject. The book is hearty in size (certainly no shortage of information there) and the recipes are quite simple while still offering something unique. The book is divided by broad families of vegetable, and through text and recipes, shows how herbs and complimenting vegetables pair well or can be used interchangably. Heidi wrote a perfect description here. Madison has a long standing reputation in vegetarian cooking, and this book stands as further reference that the woman knows her plant based foods. The front flap says "a masterwork from America's leading authority on vegetarian cooking" - that's really all the introduction it needs.
This recipe comes in two parts in the book. First, I ran across the suggestion in the chapter involving buckwheat, seeing as soba noodles are made of buckwheat flour (at least in part). The recipe suggested tossing the noodles with the kale and slivered brussel sprout salad written in the cabbage family chapter. The thing about me and noodles, is that I like my vegetable:noodle ratio 2:1. I basically like a little bit of noodle in my salad. So when the recipe hinged on the salad recipe that you then toss with noodles, it sounded like I could have exactly what I wanted. The salad on its own is perfect, the addition of noodles classify it as a meal, either way this is a wonderful, quick dish.
KALE + BRUSSELS SPROUT SOBA NOODLES // Serves 4
Recipe adapted from Deborah Madison:Vegetable Literacy
The recipe originally calls for 4 brussels, but I wanted to finish up the bunch I had. I ended up using around 10 and discarding the tough core. There is enough dressing to bulk up the greens here, so the recipe below reflects that change.
- 1 bunch tuscan kale
- 5 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 10 brussels sprouts
- 1 plump clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (white or black)
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 4-8 oz. soba noodles
- 4 slivered green onions, for garnish
Slice the kale leaves from their stems and discard the stems. Working in batches, stack the leaves, roll them up tightly lengthwise, and then thinly slice them crosswise into narrow ribbons. Put the ribbons in a large bowl with 1 tsp. of the sesame oil and 1/4 tsp. salt. Massage the leaves with your hands until they glisten.
Discard any funky outer leaves from the brussels sprouts. Slice them paper thin (mandoline works best) then toss them with the kale.
Pound the garlic until smooth in a small mortar (I used a bowl and minced the garlic fine). Stir in the vinegar, remaining sesame oil and soy sauce. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss well. This much can be done in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to serve, or enjoyed alone as a salad.
Bring the water to a boil. When starting the noodles, finish the salad with the sesame seeds, pepper flakes and green onions. Cook the noodles according to package instructions and drain well. Toss the noodles with the greens. The noodle salad can be served warm or cold.
Reader Comments (81)
dear heavens. making these on Friday!
Well... I think I have my next MUST-MAKE recipe. Looks like something I'd go bonkers over.
What perfection! This is easily my favorite salad combo ever - kale & brussels sprouts go together so beautifully! Love the asian inspired dressing on this one too. Gorgeous!
I love the perspective of the photographs you feature-it's like seeing food in another beautiful light that I don't typically take stock of. And bravo to a beautiful use of kale and brussels, two hot commodities in the food world right now!
This is my favorite new meal. I haven't made it yet, but I just know. Loved your words about the cookbook and experience of the market this past weekend. Always beautiful, especially alongside those photos! :)
Soba noodles and dark leafy greens - how can you go wrong with that... looks delicious
I've made something similar and I really love the pairing of brussels sprouts and soba noodles- I think it's the earthy combination of the two. Lovely addition of kale!
Did you take the pictures for this post Sara? I love them. I only asked because the don't look like Hugh's pictures. Love!
so lovely! i have all of this is my fridge/pantry and will be eating tomorrow :)
ohhh, looks so good.
Well, this soba dish sounds pretty perfect to me now. Vegetable Literacy just landed in my wishlist, too, thanks for the heads up!
You've just married 2 of my favourite veggies and I LOVE the sounds of this dish! Like you, I like my veggie quantities to be at least twice the noodle quantity.... especially when Brussels sprouts are involved. Beautiful photos!
Oh I love this. I know people say this, but I actually DO have al the ingredients on hand and am looking for a good way to use up my kale. Tell Hugh, lovely photos! You two make quite the talented pair.
what a beautiful dish!
What a gorgeous and appealing salad. I love soba noodles! Definitely trying this.
This is looks deliciously healthy - I may add some sriracha for some extra spice. If the other recipes in Vegetable Literacy look half as appetizing, I'm all in!
This looks so great! My problem is that I have a hard time finding fresh, robust kale at times. It's difficult when the other kale lovers get to the grocery store/farmer's market before you!
Also, I love that there are brussels sprouts as well. All the shades of green in the rainbow!
I've never had soba noodles before. This is will be the first recipe to try them out. I do love brussels sprouts and I'm trying to incorporate more leafy greens like kale in my meals. Thank you for the recipe and new cookbook discovery.
What! Farmer's market in February? I keep telling Thom we need to get out to California at some point, but I think we need to put a rush on it. Fo' real.
As for this leafy green soba noodle goodness, you're making me wish I was having it for dinner instead of.. whatever it is we're having for dinner. Love the ratio of veggies to noodles - the lady after my own heart.
Oh. my. word. This post just pretty much made my life. I just got back from Japan where my meal of choice was soba noodles, so I am delighted to have come across a recipe that incorporates three of my all time faves: kale, brussels sprouts, and soba! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
this looks phenomenal!
All these ingredients are in my cupboard!!! Beautiful, as always.
Fantastic, can't wait to try pairing kale and spaghetti
Such pretty pictures!
Geeeeeeeeet out. This is fabulous. Why don't I live inside your mouth?
Gorgeous greens! This book sounds great. May I ask how you keep your herbs when you stock up @ farmers mket? Always looking for tips.
awesome idea for a salad. looks and sounds super clean and fresh!
I've been looking for a reason to use my mandolin. Now I have one. I love the simplicity and beauty of this dish. As always you photographs are breathtaking.
This will be tonight's dinner!
This looks delicious! and that picture of the sauce is just incredible! can't wait to get my hands on Deborah Madison's book.
I'm trying to incorporate more kale into my diet, but find typical kale a bit time consuming since removing the stems is desired. How do you feel about baby kale? I've tried only in my smoothies/juicing, but not cooking. I imagine it would be much like baby spinach, but your opinion would be great!
@Sherry - baby kale is harder to find by me. I see it in packaged salad blends, but rarely on its own. I suppose it would cook like spinach but wouldn't shrink down as much...or be as smooth for that matter. I say play around with it ;)
Sara, this looks utterly appetizing. And you've managed to bring to life a recipe that features two of the very same ingredients I'm itching to use in my fridge today - lucky me! I'm looking forward to cooking this up for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing your work.
I'm super excited about this cookbook--it sounds so good! Love the idea of soba with lots of dark winter greens. :)
I made this for dinner tonight, but given the wind and snow outside, I roasted the brussel sprouts and kale before tossing. I used less oil in the dressing to account for the oil I used in roasting. It was fantastic! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This looks so yum. Definitely on my to-make list for next week.
YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!!
Oh man, Deborah Madison is my hero. I am now officially pumped to get my hands on her book (thanks for the enticing description), and am glad to have this great recipe in the meantime. There's something for everyone in my family to like here, noodles for the kids, Brussels sprouts for my husband, and kale, glorious kale for me!
Beautiful, lady. I'm so jealous that you get Deborah Madison's next book early...I probably cook from her books more than anyone else's, just as general, baseline good recipes. Thanks for this preview! --S
I dearly love Deborah Madison and this has just convinced me to buy her new book! Thanks.
This is literally a combination of my three favorite things. Can't wait to try it ASAP... any tips on how to sliver the brussels sprouts without a mandolin?
polished mine off with a drizzle of tahini and some sliced avocado. delish!
So simple, yet so delicious looking! Can't wait to try this one, thanks for sharing :)
i am so with you on the 2:1 veg: noodle ratio. except when i take them 3:1. or 4:1. sometimes, i just chuck the noodles altogether.
and yes, that IS the sound of me, impatiently tapping my feet, waiting for Deborah's book to arrive. oh, the hardly-waits... she is such a gem.
@Liza M. - sharp knife, steady hand and cold Brussels. Just slice thin as you can and they'll be just fine!
this looks & sounds fabulous!! DM is a fountain of knowledge and inspiration. Is it possible to find soba noodles that are 100% buckwheat??
One of the first things I did when I got home was add this book to my amazon wish list. You should get commission. :)
I love that you say you like a little noodle in your salad :) I like my salad, but I really like my noodles...I'd say I'm a 1:1 girl. I'm still not 'over' kale...but I do feel a little bad for chard!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
This looks amazing! Love how the recipe calls for high fiber kale & bone healthy sesame seeds all in one recipe. Thank you!