Recipe: Buckwheat Noodles with Cashews and Greens

Harvard Dining Services has prepared a version of this recipe, which comes from Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less, by Mollie Katzen and Walter Willett, M.D. Read more about Mollie Katzen in "Delicious Minimalism," September-October 2006.

  • 1 T. light-colored honey
  • 1 T. cider vinegar
  • 2 t. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 4 oz. uncooked Japanese-style buckwheat noodles (soba)
  • 10 oz. baby spinach leaves or small-leaf mixed braising greens, coarsely chopped
  • 2 T. Chinese-style toasted sesame oil
  • 1 t. minced or crushed garlic
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped cashews, lightly toasted
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

 

  1. Place the honey in a small bowl. Add the vinegar and soy sauce, and stir until the honey dissolves. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender (about four minutes).
  3. Meanwhile, place the prepared greens in a medium-large microwave-safe bowl.
  4. When the noodles are done, drain them and immediately add them to the greens in the bowl. Add the sesame oil and garlic, and mix with a fork or tongs, bringing up the greens from the bottom so that they wilt from the contact with the hot noodles.
  5. Place the bowl in a microwave and cook on high for one minute to further wilt the greens.
  6. Remove from the microwave, and add the honey-soy sauce-vinegar mixture. Stir with the fork or tongs as you add salt to taste.
  7. Sprinkle the top with cashews and red pepper flakes, if desired, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Yield: three servings. Protein: 12 grams. Saturated fat: 4 grams. Calories: 402.

Click here for the September-October 2006 issue table of contents

Sub topics

You might also like

The 2025 Pulitzer Prizes Announced

Winners across five categories, from commentary on Gaza to criticism on public architecture

Doctors for Change

Countway Library exhibit explores historic anti-nuclear activism

Rendering Dreams in Art

South Korean artist’s socially themed photographs at the Peabody Essex Museum

Most popular

Danielle Allen Debates Far-Right Blogger Curtis Yarvin

Popular monarchist debates Allen on democracy.

Harvard Commencement Day 2025

The 374th Commencement exercises 

These Student Speakers Have History to Share

A second-generation speaker, a conservationist, and a student from afar will deliver Commencement speeches — with no notes

Explore More From Current Issue

Children's Books from Ann Kim Ha

Ann Kim Ha’s poignant children’s books

Filmmaker Salvador Litvak's Jewish Movies

The “Accidental Talmudist” on making Jewish movies

Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams at the Peabody Essex Museum

South Korean artist’s socially themed photographs at the Peabody Essex Museum