Soba “Sushi” Rolls
Technically, these nori wrapped vegetable rolls are not sushi as there is no vinegar dressed rice involved. Instead of rice, soba noodles, or buckwheat noodles, are tossed in soy sauce and sushi rice dressing then used as the base for this delicious futomaki style roll. Try these hearty rolls with your favorite vegetable combination. Or for a refreshing salad or side dish, skip the roll all together and serve the seasoned soba on its own.
Soba “Sushi” Rolls
Yields 4 thick rolls, 20 pieces
About 6 ounces dry soba noodles
4 sheets nori (4in x 7in)
1/4 cup
4 TBSP soy sauce, or more to taste
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4in length of carrot, cut into thin strips
4 shiitake mushrooms, cut into thin strips
2 TBSP finely chopped scallions
2 tsp sesame seeds
To prepare soba noodles, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add soba noodles and cook until al dente, about 3 1/2 – 4 minutes. Drain soba noodles and rinse well with cold water. Allow soab noodles to set in a strainer for 5 minutes. In a non-metal bowl, toss soba noodles with sushi rice dressing and soy sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
To assemble rolls, place nori vertically, rough side up, on a bamboo rolling mat. Spread 1/4 of the marinated soba noodles on the nori leaving about 1/3 inch space at the top uncovered. (Be sure to spread soba to the edges of the nori as this will keep the end pieces strong. Excess can be cut away later.) Place 1/4 of the bell pepper strips horizontally in the center of the soba noodles. Top with 1/4 of the carrot strips and 1 mushroom’s worth of shiitake strips. Sprinkle 1/2 TBSP scallions on top, followed by 1/2 tsp sesame seeds.
Roll according to the method for rolling a futomaki roll. There will be a loose flap when the roll is complete. Do not seal this flap with water. Allow roll to set seam down on your cutting surface for about 3 minutes. The moisture from the soba noodles will adhere the loose flap.
Repeat steps to make 3 more rolls. Once rolls have been allowed to set, cut each into 5 slices, If there is excess soba on the end pieces, this may be trimmed away. If desired, serve rolls with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce for dipping.
I’ve made these! Thanks for your advice using the half-sheets of nori.
I tried this. It tasted great but the roll didn’t hold together very well. I put a little sesame oil in the dressing. Could it be that made the soba overly slick? Did you drain the soba after putting it in the dressing or did you put it straight onto the nori?
Unfortunately, there is no one tried and true solution to keeping this roll nice and tidy. Unlike sushi rice, the soba isn’t as sticky. It takes a little bit of maneuvering to make it happen. Try letting the soba marinate in the dressing then patting some of it away with a paper towel. That should help. Also try packing the soba very tightly in the roll – you’ll most likely have to cut away a small bit from each end, but the middle pieces should hold better if they are compact. Hope this helps!