15-Minute Skinny Vegetable Soba Noodles

Sean D. started prepping for the school year this week — Boston Latin goes back in September, and he's the kind of teacher who starts planning his first AP History lecture in August because he cares about his students with an intensity that borders on the unreasonable, and I love him for it. He spread his lesson plans across my kitchen table Tuesday night and talked about the Constitutional Convention for forty-five minutes while I chopped vegetables for a stir-fry, and it was the most domestic, boring, perfect evening of my life.

I lost a patient this week. Mrs. O'Brien, seventy-four, lung cancer. She'd been on my floor for six weeks and she knitted a scarf for every nurse. Mine is green, because she asked my favorite color and green is a Donovan color, an Irish color, the color of everything that means home to me. She finished the scarf on Monday. She died on Thursday. The scarf is draped over my bedpost and I will keep it forever. That's the thing about oncology — people leave you things. Not in wills, not legally, but in the small gifts they press into your hands as if they know, as if they're distributing pieces of themselves so that some part of them stays behind.

The stir-fry Tuesday night was new territory for me — ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetables cut thin and cooked fast in the cast iron skillet Da gave me when I moved out. The wok would be better but I don't have a wok. The result was surprisingly good. Sean D. said, "You should make this every week." Maureen, when I told her, said, "That's Chinese food, Katherine." I said, "It's a stir-fry, Ma." She said, "Same thing," in a tone that suggested she was not going to be making stir-fries at Sunday dinner anytime soon.

Saturday pancakes. Sunday dinner — Maureen's meatloaf, which she makes with a ketchup glaze that caramelizes on top and which is the one recipe she'll share with anyone because she says, "If they can't figure out meatloaf, they deserve the recipe." Harsh but fair. The Donovan family philosophy in one sentence: harsh but fair.

The stir-fry Tuesday night was mine — improvised, a little nervous, made in Da’s cast iron while Sean talked about James Madison — but this is the version I’ve been reaching for since, the one that pulls the same flavors into something even faster and a little more forgiving on a night when you don’t have much left to give. Soba noodles instead of rice, the same ginger and garlic and sesame oil, vegetables cut thin because that’s still how I do it now. Sean said to make it every week, and I’m starting to think he was right.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz soba noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 medium carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets, cut small
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha or chili garlic sauce (optional)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook soba noodles according to package directions, usually 4–5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, and set aside.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha if using. Set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Cook the vegetables. Add broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage to the pan. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until just tender but still with some bite. Add the bell pepper and cook 1 minute more.
Combine. Add the cooked soba noodles to the pan along with the sauce and sesame oil. Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until well coated and heated through.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

15-Minute Skinny Vegetable Soba Noodles — The Stir-Fry Sean Said to Make Every Week