Buckwheat noodles: calorie content, use and contraindications

Chemical composition of buckwheat noodles

Buckwheat noodles have recently become especially popular. In terms of taste, it is in no way inferior to other types of pasta, but significantly surpasses them in terms of benefits. Buckwheat noodles are also called by the term Soba. She is of Japanese descent. The product is prepared from water and buckwheat flour and is brown in color. To obtain a sticky consistency, add a little rice flour to the dough. There are no dyes, preservatives or sugar in the composition. Due to this, buckwheat vermicelli is in demand among supporters of a healthy lifestyle.

A distinctive feature of buckwheat noodles is its rich chemical composition. The production process uses technologies to preserve the original properties of buckwheat. First of all, the product is valued for its content of plant proteins. The amount of fat is minimal.

The noodles contain the following elements:

• fat-soluble vitamins B, A and E;
• calcium;
• manganese;
• copper;
• zinc;
• sodium;
• iron;
• choline;
• phosphorus;
• potassium.

Soba contains a record amount of amino acids and antioxidants.
When purchasing buckwheat products, you should pay special attention to assessing the composition. In addition to the main component, it may contain rye or wheat flour. In this case, the calorie content of the dish will be higher, and the benefits will be significantly reduced. Therefore, you do not need to focus solely on the appearance of the product. Some manufacturers add green tea to the composition, thereby increasing the benefits of soba.

Attention! Buckwheat noodles prepared at home are considered the healthiest and most delicious.

How to make buckwheat noodles yourself

If you decide to try making soba yourself, then be prepared for a decent load on your hands and forearms. Buckwheat flour is very capricious, the dough will crumble a lot and you need to spend enough time to knead it properly.

1. Sift buckwheat flour into a bowl, add rice or wheat flour if desired. For pasta to be called “soba”, there must be at least 30% buckwheat. Add hot water to boil the flour a little, stir with a spoon.
2. Continue kneading the dough with your hands, it should not crumble and be elastic. Cover it with a damp towel and set it aside for half an hour to soften it.
3. Divide all the dough into small pieces. Take one and roll out a thin sheet, fold it into quarters and roll it out again. The thickness of the sheet should be no more than one and a half millimeters.
4. Dust the finished sheet with flour and set aside to dry. Do the same with the rest of the dough.
5. When all the layers are dry, they need to be thoroughly sprinkled with flour again, folded together 3-4 pieces and rolled into rolls.
6. Using a knife, cut the rolls into slices 5-10mm thick. Shake the slices, they will separate from each other and you will get strips of pasta.
7. The noodles can be boiled immediately or dried and saved for later. You can dry it in the oven for no more than two hours at a temperature of about 60 degrees, or simply on the table, then it will take about ten hours.

What are the benefits of buckwheat noodles?

Buckwheat noodles are most widespread in Asian countries. It is considered one of the healthy dietary products. It is indicated for use by those who have problems with the heart, blood vessels and suffer from surges in blood pressure. Women add it to their diet to preserve youth and beauty. For men, a buckwheat product helps them recover faster after active physical activity. The beneficial properties of buckwheat noodles include the following:

• acceleration of metabolic processes;
• prevention of cardiovascular diseases;
• normalization of sleep;
• replenishment of iron reserves in the body;
• antioxidant effect;
• help with weight loss;
• positive effect on skin condition;
• normalization of intestinal motility;
• activation of the body's defenses;
• improved vision;
• restoration of energy reserves.

Soba is very beneficial for hypertensive patients. It contains substances that stabilize blood pressure and strengthen blood vessels. With regular use, the product is able to remove heavy metal salts and toxins from the body. In addition, it has a stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

Effect on the body

Buckwheat noodles can and should be eaten by those who know first-hand about the problems of excess weight, especially people diagnosed with obesity. It contains rutin, which is considered a strong oxidizing agent and is beneficial for capillaries.

Studies have proven that the presence of buckwheat noodles (which do not contain white flour) in the diet reduces cholesterol levels and stabilizes blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The substances that are present in such noodles have a positive effect on digestive processes and can speed up metabolism. This point also needs to be taken into account by overweight people, because their metabolism is generally inhibited, which provokes the deposition of fat.

How many calories are in buckwheat noodles?

The benefits of buckwheat noodles for weight loss are invaluable. 100 g of the finished product contains 115 kcal. Even if you take into account the additional components, the dish will turn out to be dietary. That is why it is in particular demand among those losing weight. Nutritionists recommend eating soba with vegetables. A positive effect on the figure is due to the ability of buckwheat noodles to trigger metabolism.

Soba goes well with tuna and avocado

We recommend reading: Useful properties and contraindications of avocados

Comment! A diet that includes soda in the diet helps eliminate bad cholesterol from the body.

Energy value and composition

100 grams of raw buckwheat noodles contain 14.7 grams of protein, which is about 59 kcal. Fat 0.85 grams, which corresponds to 8 kcal. It contains 70.5 grams of carbohydrates, which corresponds to 282 kcal. But in the store you can find different types of noodles that differ in composition. Accordingly, calorie content and dietary fat may also be different. Take this into account when planning your diet.

Compound

As you can understand from the above data, buckwheat noodles are not greasy. Therefore, it is digested quite quickly. It contains the following useful substances:

• choline
• vitamin B1
• AT 2
• AT 5
• AT 6
• AT 9
• RR
• calcium
• potassium
• zinc
• magnesium
• copper
• selenium
• manganese
• sodium
• phosphorus
• iron

Contraindications for buckwheat noodles

Despite many beneficial properties, buckwheat vermicelli has contraindications. The main ones include an allergic reaction. Most often it occurs in preschool children. Allergies can be either acute or cumulative. In addition, the product is prohibited for use by people with gluten intolerance. Soba is allowed during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It does not have a negative effect on the fetus.

We recommend reading: Gluten: what it is and why it is harmful, where it is found, symptoms of intolerance

Types and varieties

The production of buckwheat noodles was initially a complex process. The fact is that buckwheat flour itself does not have the stickiness that rice and wheat flour boast about. Therefore, Japanese chefs decided to add a little wheat flour to buckwheat noodles. However, real buckwheat noodles should contain at least a third of buckwheat. A product containing only a tiny percentage of buckwheat flour cannot be considered high quality.

Some varieties of buckwheat noodles contain only 20% wheat. These include such a species as ni-nachi soba

.
But if you decide to try 100% buckwheat noodles, then go in search of towari soba
. This product does not contain any other types of flour. True, it is not always possible to find such noodles even in the best national restaurants in Japan. After all, its preparation is very difficult. Buckwheat flour dough is capricious and requires maximum care. It can tear easily, and the noodles from it come out very fragile. The amount and types of flour added to buckwheat noodles determine its color. The noodles can be light gray, beige or even greenish in color.

To get a green color, green tea extract is added to noodle flour, which gives it both a unique color and additional beneficial properties. But to obtain a pasta product that is no less popular in Korea, acorn flour is used.

Rules for eating buckwheat noodles

Buckwheat noodles should be boiled before use. Cooking time is 10-15 minutes. If the product is not fully prepared, its use will cause heaviness in the stomach. After removing from the heat, place the noodles in a colander to remove excess moisture. Additional components are prepared in a separate container. At the end they are added to the base of the dish. The daily norm is 200 g.

Buckwheat noodles go well with seafood, soy sauce, vegetables and meat. It can be eaten both hot and cold. Most often, soba is served as a side dish, but sometimes it is the main component of the soup. Dishes prepared with buckwheat vermicelli are recommended to be consumed no more than 3 times a week. It is also undesirable to eat it several times a day. Excessive consumption depreciates the beneficial qualities of the product.

Recipes for dishes with buckwheat noodles

When experimenting with culinary recipes, you should keep in mind that after eating a dietary product, a nutty aftertaste remains. This is reflected in the culinary qualities of the dishes. Therefore, the choice of spices should be approached with caution.

Without knowing how to cook buckwheat noodles, you can ruin the main dish. Unlike rice, it requires boiling. If you do not bring it to readiness, you will feel heaviness in the stomach; if you overdo it, the dark stripes will stick together and the dish will look unappetizing.

To get a more pronounced taste, it is recommended to add vegetable oil. The proportions of water and dry product are better than 10:1, that is, 100 g of noodles per 1 liter of water. If the recipe says “bring the pasta until half cooked,” then you need to transfer the vermicelli to a colander, rinse with cool water, and only then simmer or finish cooking.

Recipes with buckwheat noodles:

• Casserole
  . Pieces of boiled meat, 200-250 g, finely chopped. The broth is not drained. Boil the pasta and allow excess liquid to drain. Fry chopped onions (1 onion) in a frying pan until golden brown. Remove the onion and simmer 200 g of spinach in butter in the same bowl. The oven is heated to 180°C, the silicone deep mold is greased with butter. Lay out the ingredients in layers, like a cake, alternating noodles, onions, meat, spinach. Beat 2 eggs with 700 ml of meat broth, pour into the casserole, and place in the oven. Cooking time: 20 minutes. The casserole is served with soy or tomato sauce.
• Buckwheat noodle soup
  . You need to cook a rich chicken broth; to prepare the dish in the future you will need 200 g of chicken breast and 300 ml of liquid, an egg, also boil the pasta separately - 80 g. The fillet is cut into portions and fried in soy sauce, sesame seeds, red and black pepper. Place noodles, chopped egg, and meat into the hot broth. The soup is salted and seasoned with soy sauce to taste. Please note: all ingredients are prepared separately.
• Buckwheat noodles with shrimp
  . Noodles, 1-2 standard bunches, are boiled, placed in a colander, and then placed on plates. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and add 3-4 cloves of garlic. Peeled shrimp are cooked in flavored oil to obtain a golden crust. Add them to the noodles. Next, fry in turn: 100 g of champignons, zucchini cut into small pieces, grated carrots, sweet pepper ribbons. Everything is laid out beautifully on a platter, poured with soy sauce, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. You can replace the shrimp with a sea cocktail, add octopus or mussels to it.
• Buckwheat noodles with vegetables
  . To prepare the dish, you need a Korean vegetable grater and a deep frying pan, preferably a wok. Boil vermicelli according to the method already described. Prepare vegetables: eggplant, carrots, zucchini, large bell peppers - red and yellow, red Yalta onion or 2 leeks. Chop a few garlic cloves. The leek stem is cut lengthwise. Vegetables, starting with garlic, are fried in hot butter, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Without draining the oil with the garlic-vegetable aroma, lay out the noodles, vegetables, and pour over a mixture of sauces - oyster and soy. Leave on fire for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The hot dish is served in deep plates or bowls. Salt, pepper and herbs are added to taste and desire. For those losing weight, it is better to do without salt, especially since soy sauce gives it a salty taste.
• Buckwheat noodles with chicken
  . Chicken meat, 200 g, cut along the grain, left to marinate in soy sauce with garlic. Boil the noodles separately. Heat a frying pan, fry the meat in vegetable oil until cooked, add boiled buckwheat vermicelli and, stirring thoroughly, simmer in teriyaki sauce for 3 minutes. The dish is tasty and low in calories. Often other ingredients are added to the recipe, for example, vegetables - carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers. The same dish is often prepared with pork. In this case it is called yakisoba.

Uses of buckwheat noodles

Most often, buckwheat noodles are included in the diet for variety. But sometimes it is used for weight loss purposes. The substances present in its composition trigger metabolic processes, promoting fat burning. At the same time, the dish perfectly satisfies the feeling of hunger without putting extra pounds on your figure. Noodles are quickly absorbed by the body, having a positive effect on health. The abundance of vitamins in its composition will prevent the skin from losing its elasticity during weight loss. Soba will be an excellent option for decorating a holiday table, and is also ideal for daily consumption.

For people involved in sports and pregnant women, soba can be a source of iron. It quickly replenishes the body's energy reserves and prevents the development of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. During pregnancy, the presence of the product in the diet prevents the development of iron deficiency anemia. Buckwheat noodles are recommended for women to use because they add beauty to the skin and hair. The vitamins in its composition make the epidermis more elastic, and the hair shiny and strong.

Important! Home-cooked soba should be kept away from moisture. The ideal container would be a canvas bag or a plastic container with a lid.

Dietary properties:

What calorie content does buckwheat noodles have, what dietary properties does it have? All this is of great interest to those who lead a healthy lifestyle and monitor their health and figure. So we will try to answer these questions in the next article.

So here it is:

The dietary properties of buckwheat noodles are identical to the original raw material, that is, buckwheat. In the old days it was called the bread of the poor, but today it is one of the most expensive crops. Nevertheless, buckwheat is a frequent guest on our table, and there are reasons for this. When scientists discovered how beneficial this cereal is for our health, its popularity increased greatly. In addition, buckwheat is a susceptible crop: it produces good yields only on clean soils; it does not tolerate chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so it is rightfully considered an environmentally friendly product.

Buckwheat is considered an alkaline product, which has a good effect on regulating the acid-base balance of the body. Dishes made from it have dietary and antidiabetic properties. The substances it contains protect us from vascular diseases.

Taste qualities

Buckwheat has a taste and aroma that is quite distinct from other crops. Buckwheat noodles also contain these components. They make the product more interesting by giving it a sweet aroma. Young noodles, which in Japan are called shin soba, have the most piquant taste. But the most common noodles can be a little bitter. This point is especially noticeable in Korean noodle varieties, in which acorn extract is added to the dough to add a nutty flavor.

Buckwheat noodles are cooked in lightly salted water and then washed. This procedure is carried out in order to rid the noodles of excess starch and flour sediment in the water. It also helps keep the noodles firm and prevents them from sticking together.

Use in cooking

Buckwheat noodles are found less often than other types. Therefore, it is considered a rather rare, but extremely useful product. It is served cold or hot. Soba is considered an essential summer product. When chilled, it loses neither taste nor beneficial qualities, but is served with seaweed and soy sauce, chopped daikon, sesame and okra. It has become very popular to combine noodles and nori seaweed. This dish was called soba maki.

Hot noodles are no less popular. It is included in many folk soups. The most popular soup is noodle soup, in which noodles are doused with a hot gravy of sweet soy sauce and rice wine. The noodles go well with many vegetables and are served with sweet potato puree and slices of stewed eggplant. A portion of fried soba is often served sprinkled with fried onions or fresh herbs.

The most interesting combination of noodles is with shrimp. It is believed that it conveys the national flavor more than anything else. The chef knows how to cook soba. However, there are a huge number of options on how to do this. The Japanese consider even the water in which the noodles were cooked to be a separate dish. Soba is served after the main meal with tsuyu sauce.

Soba is a must-have item at many Japanese celebrations. People cannot imagine the New Year without toshikoshi soba

or, as it is also called, longevity noodles. Also in the land of the rising sun, it is customary to serve noodles with soy sauce, rice vinegar, green onions and zucchini for housewarming.