Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Ingredients (yields 4 servings)

Salad

• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 tsp neutral tasting oil (skip if oil-free)
• 200 g / 7 oz buckwheat soba noodles (some are gluten free, check the label if you need to!)
• 1 cup spinach or Portuguese / Lacinato kale leaves, massaged and chopped thinly
• 1/2 cup green beans, cut in halves and sliced thinly across
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 8 radishes, sliced thinly
• 1 small cucumber, julienned
• 2 spring onions / scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
• small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• black sesame seeds, to decorate

Dressing

• 30 ml / 2 tbsp white / Shiro miso paste
• 1 tbsp peanut butter, cashew butter, or tahini
• 60 ml / ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1-2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/8 tsp white (or black) pepper
• a pinch of chili flakes(optional)

Instructions

1. Heat up a griddle pan on a low heat. Brush the corn with a small amount of oil and place on the preheated griddle pan. Grill, turning every few minutes, until cooked and lightly charred all over. Once cool, shave the kernels off with a sharp knife.
2. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook your soba noodles as per packet instructions. They overcook easily so I tend to err on the side of caution and cook them for a little less, say 4 minutes (even if the packet says 5).
3. While the noodles are cooking, prepare a big bowl of cold water. Once the noodles are done, drain them, immediately rinse them under a cold tap and then dump them in a bowl of cold water. It arrests the cooking process and stops the noodles from getting all sticky. Drain and stir a teaspoon of sesame oil through them to keep them nicely separate (skip if not using oil).
4. Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, drizzle with the dressing and decorate with fresh coriander and sesame seeds.
5. For the dressing, Combine miso paste and cashew butter / tahini in a small bowl. Slowly add in all of the wet ingredients stirring the whole time to make sure the dressing has no lumps.
6. Season the dressing mixture with ginger, garlic, white pepper and chili if using. If you use cashew butter that is a bit thicker, you may want to add a drop of water (or more orange juice) to achieve the right – pourable yet thick – consistency.

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Now mix everything together and serve it on a big beautiful plate or wide bowl. Make sure to garnish with more sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, and/or cilantro if desired!

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Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 299 |   Total fat: 8g   |   Sat fat: 1g   |   Sodium: 230 mg   |   Total Carbohydrate: 51g   |   Sugars: 0g   |   Dietary Fiber: 4g   |   Protein: 9g