Savory soba noodles with spicy garlic shrimp recipe is a colorful dish packed with seafood and vegetables. Asian flavors are infused into each noodle bite.
Have you been experiencing dinner rut? Eating the same old routine each week? I gravitate towards making easy, quick and familiar dishes, but it can, however, get boring, with a capital B. It’s good to throw a curveball every once in a while to avoid monotony. I got to say, I can’t get enough noodles lately.
Cooler nights, cozy times, shorter days – noodle dishes are the way to go. Not only are they irresistible, but they are also easy to make, and you can load them up with lots of healthy vegetables. These soba noodles with spicy garlic shrimp will boost the excitement level of your cooking arsenal. It only takes 30 minutes to pull together. You got this!
If you are short on time and want a lean, flavorful protein to add to your dishes, shrimp is the solution. Naturally savory, they cook in 3 minutes or less on each side. So easy and tasty! I like to gently infuse the cooking oil with loads of garlic and chili flakes. It adds a nice spice to the shrimp.
Did someone say veggies? Pack it in! I’m not shy about my love for these colorful gifts from Mother Nature. Purple cabbage, sugar snap peas, and carrots all add that loud and proud crunch. Mushrooms soak up all of the flavors and add it’s own savory note.
The sauce is really where it’s at. To give the dish, a spicy Asian kick, delicious hoisin sauce, soy, fresh lime juice, sesame oil, and spicy sriracha chili get whisked together. To thicken the sauce, I added a little bit of cornstarch. It creates a silky, rich sauce that sticks to the outside of each soba noodle.
Check out how those soba noodles have soaked up the sauce. That means more flavor concentrated in each slurp! You also have just about every color in one dish, which means more healthy phytonutrients in each bite.
If you’re not in the mood for a hot soba noodle dish, give my Asian soba noodle salad a try, it’s super refreshing and healthy! I would love to hear how you prefer your soba noodles, hot or cold.
What are soba noodles?
Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and are typically found in Japanese cuisine. The thin yet sturdy noodles have a subtle nutty flavor. They work well in soup, stir-fried dishes or served cold as a noodle salad. It’s a nice gluten-free alternative, however, make sure to check the label for any wheat allergy processing warnings. Compared to wheat pasta, soba noodles are lower in calories, however, still have a high glycemic index. It’s a good idea to add a lean protein like shrimp or chicken and lots of vegetables to your soba noodles to create a balanced dish rich in nutrients. (Source: Live Strong)
Soba Noodles with Spicy Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 9 ounces soba noodles
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons lime juice, about 2 limes
- zest of two limes
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 8 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce, more if desired, Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Shrimp
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, 16/20 count
- kosher salt, as needed to season shrimp
- black pepper, as needed to season shrimp
Vegetables
- 1 cup brown mushrooms, thinly sliced fresh, for garnish
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
- 2 cup cilantro, for garnish
- 4 slices lime, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water to boiling on high.
- Meanwhile, mix all the Sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Transfer to a small saucepan, boil until thickened, stirring as needed. About 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside. Add more honey or chili sauce if desired.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes. When the ingredients begin to gently sizzle, cook, stirring as needed for 3 minutes to infuse the flavors into the oil, turn off the heat. Do not brown the garlic!
- Dry the shrimp with paper towel, season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Turn the heat up to medium and add the shrimp to the infused oil. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. Turn off the heat, reserve pan.
- Add noodles to the pot of boiling water, cook for 4 minutes, or as suggested by the manufacturer. Drain with a colander and keep warm.
- Turn heat to up to medium-high on the reserved pan. Add mushrooms and carrots, saute for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and peas, saute for an additional 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add cooked noodles and shrimp to the pan. Gradually add enough sauce to coat the ingredients, stirring gently to combine.
- Divide dish into 4 servings, top with cilantro and serve with a lime slice.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Jay says
This is a nice recipe, but the quantities for the sauce are excessive. The soy sauce is too dominant so perhaps just cutting the amount in half would be an improvement. Also, why add water to the sauce if you are just going to boil it down to thicken it? Omit the water. And as much as I love cilantro, 2 cups is a lot!
Abha Sood says
I and my children made this last night and loved the dish–delicious!!! Our new favorite go-to for family dinners. And sounds like a great idea for a grab-and-go salad. Yummy! We changed the vegetables a little (used what we had) and it turned out great. Thanks, Jessica!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback! I’m thrilled to hear that the family enjoyed the soba noodle recipe. Great job improvising on the vegetables!
Nick says
Do you use raw or cooked shrimp?
Jessica Gavin says
I use raw shrimp and then cook them.
Blair says
Jessica,
I don’t see anything in the sauce ingredients that would keep this from being served cold, as long as the soba is rinsed well and tossed in the sauce while still warm. I am looking at this as a quick grab-and-go chilled soba “salad” if you will. Thanks!
P.S. I adore your recipes!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Blair! You can definitely serve this cold. Maybe make some extra sauce to serve with it as the noodles will absorb it once tossed together.