Cold Buckwheat Noodle Bowl with Cucumber and Chicken
A light, refreshing, gluten-free bowl packed with prebiotic fibre to nurture your gut microbiome and support healthy digestion.
Ingredients
- 150 g 100% buckwheat noodles (soba or pure buckwheat linguine — no wheat blends)
- 200 g chicken breast
- 1 medium cucumber (approx. 200 g whole, ~150 g net after trimming — reduce to 75 g if IBS-sensitive)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon tamari sauce (gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 small handful of fresh coriander or snipped chives
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 litre water for cooking the noodles
Instructions
Preparation Steps
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Steam the chicken. Place the chicken breast in a steamer basket over a pan of gently simmering water. Cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the flesh is cooked through with no pink remaining. Steaming preserves the proteins and avoids any unnecessary added fat. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature, then shred the chicken into thin strips using two forks. Set aside in the fridge.
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Cook the buckwheat noodles. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the buckwheat noodles and cook al dente, following the packet instructions (typically 3 to 5 minutes) — avoid overcooking so they retain their firm texture, intact fibre, and low glycaemic index. Drain immediately, then rinse thoroughly under cold running water, loosening the noodles with your fingers to stop the cooking and prevent them from sticking together. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
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Prepare the cucumber. Leave the cucumber unpeeled — the skin concentrates prebiotic fibre and antioxidants. Slice it into thin rounds or half-moons using a knife or mandoline. Place the slices in a bowl, drizzle over the rice vinegar and add a small pinch of salt. Toss to coat and leave to macerate for 10 minutes. This brief maceration improves the bioavailability of the antioxidants and lightly softens the cucumber without compromising its fibre content.
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Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, tamari sauce, freshly grated ginger, and a pinch of black pepper. Taste and adjust the balance to your preference. The olive oil provides monounsaturated fatty acids that support the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients in the meal.
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Assemble the bowl. Add the marinated cucumber (along with its macerating juices) and the shredded chicken to the bowl of cooled noodles, then pour over the dressing. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Assembling the bowl cold is key: it preserves the heat-sensitive prebiotic compounds in the buckwheat and keeps the cucumber beautifully crisp.
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Finishing and serving. Divide the bowl between two shallow bowls or deep plates. Scatter over the sesame seeds (a source of anti-inflammatory lignans) and finish with fresh coriander or snipped chives, according to your taste. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 24 hours — the flavours deepen further after a few hours of resting.
💡 Gut-Friendly Tips
- If you follow a strictly low-FODMAP diet (IBS): limit the cucumber to 50–75 g per serving and ensure your buckwheat noodles are made from 100% buckwheat flour, with no added wheat flour.
- Variations: Swap the cucumber for raw grated courgette or thinly sliced carrot — both are low-FODMAP alternatives and rich in gentle fibre. Firm tofu pan-fried in a little olive oil makes an equally digestive-friendly vegetarian substitute for the chicken.
- Microbiome tip: The more slowly and thoroughly you chew this bowl, the more you support enzymatic activity before food reaches the colon — and the more effectively you feed your beneficial bacteria with the buckwheat fibre.