Step 1

Prepare your vegetables by peeling and thinly slicing your garlic. Wash mushrooms and slice them into ⅛- ¼-inch slices. Wash and dry the greens, then remove the stems (if using kale or another hearty green). Chop the leaves into small bite-sized pieces.

Step 2

Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and cook over LOW HEAT for about 1-2 minutes to infuse the butter with garlic flavor. (It should not brown. If it does, the heat is too high.)

Step 3

Add mushrooms to skillet, and stir to coat with butter, then spread out in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir (or flip one-by-one) and cook 5 minutes more.

Step 4

After 10 minutes, the mushrooms should be much smaller with some golden brown coloring. If they haven’t developed any color, increase the heat to medium-low and cook for about 3 more minutes to brown the mushrooms.

Step 5

Once the mushrooms have a little color, add the 2 teaspoons of tamari or soy sauce (more if desired), spicy chili paste, and the chopped greens. Stir and cook until the greens are wilted and remove from the heat.

Step 6

Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to instructions on the package. I usually bring a pot of water to a boil, add the soba, and cook for about 6 minutes. If using gluten-free soba, cook for 1 minute less than package instructions.

Step 7

Drain soba and rinse immediately to wash off the sticky starch. Optionally, you can add a drizzle of sesame oil to help keep the noodles from sticking. I recommend cooking the soba towards the end of the cooking process (or after you’re done with the mushrooms) since soba may clump together if left to sit too long.

Step 8

Combine the drained soba with the mushroom dish and stir well. I dollop the soba in batches to help it combine best. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion if you have it!