This is not really a recipe, more a plea to use buckwheat soba noodles occasionally when cooking an Asian-inspired (particularly Japanese) meal. The nutty and wholesome flavour and firm texture make a change from the ubiquitous egg noodles or plain rice; they’re an excellent accompaniment to things like grilled oily fish, unctuous pork belly, poached chicken breasts or miso-glazed aubergine.
Even if the dish they’re served with is warm, I prefer to rinse soba noodles with cold water and eat them when cool, as they seem to seize up and become claggy if left warm. In the UK, Clearspring, Akagi and Hakubaku are good soba brands to look for.