This week I have another recipe from fellow foodie Jen Pomeroy (www.themodernmess.com).

This Soba Noodle Salad is a family favourite in Jen’s house. The recipe works well year round, and you can use whatever vegetables are seasonally available. It’s super quick to put together, and parts of it can be made in advance for an easy lunch or light dinner.

Now that avocados have returned to an affordable price and don’t cost the earth, they provide a nice contrast to the crisp vegetables. The egg noodles and edamame beans can be subbed for other ingredients like a roast chicken (Jen does a mean Miso Roast Chicken), soft boiled eggs, or other meat, fish or tofu.

Other vegetable options to try are ..... blanched broccoli, asparagus, pak choi, beans, baby spinach, shredded carrot, capsicum, roast eggplant, courgette noodles etc. Test drive your own combinations!

Enjoy!

SOBA NOODLE SALAD WITH SOY SESAME DRESSING, ENDAMAME BEANS & EGG NOODLES

Recipe by Jen Pomeroy - The Modern Mess

INGREDIENTS

Pickled Ginger
150 g fresh ginger, finely sliced on a mandolin
1 pink radish, if you want pink ginger
1 tsp salt
100g each of water, sugar, & rice wine vinegar - weigh everything straight into the saucepan.

Sweet Soy & Sesame Dressing
6 tbsp soy sauce – I used Tamari 
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
5 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp sugar or use 1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp grated onion – about half a small onion
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Noodle Salad
Assorted Vegetables – Use whatever is in season. Think crunchy and fresh for example:
- 1 - 2 c frozen edamame beans, thawed 
- ¼ - ½ cabbage or bok choy, shredded  
- 1 - 2 avocados, peeled & sliced
- ½ telegraph cucumber, shredded
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 packet Soba noodles – 270g or more if you’re hungry
pickled ginger (optional)

Egg ‘Noodles’
3 eggs 
1 tbsp Mirin
pinch salt

METHOD

Pickled Ginger
Peel the fresh ginger with the back of the teaspoon - it’s the easiest way. Then slice as thinly as possible, using a mandolin.

Place in a bowl and sprinkle over the salt, leave for half an hour.

Place the water, sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool.

Squeeze the salted ginger to remove any excess liquid, and place in a sterilised jar. Add a sliced pink radish if you would like slightly pink ginger, then pour over the cooled liquid. Best to leave for 5 - 7 days for the flavours to develop. It keeps for ages, mine is still going strong after 5 months.

Sweet Soy & Sesame Dressing
Grate the onion on a box grater, and toast the sesame seeds in the oven. Mix all ingredients together in a jar until the sugar dissolves. The dressing keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

Noodle Salad
Cook the Soba noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water, then tip into a bowl and mix a little of the dressing through the noodles to stop them sticking.

Make the egg noodles by beating the eggs with Mirin and a little salt. Heat a frypan with some oil, and pour in the egg mixture (do two batches for thin ‘noodles’). Just before the egg mixture sets, sprinkle with a few sesame seeds before flipping. Repeat for remaining mix. Stack the cooked egg on top of each other, and cut into noodles.

Prepare all the vegetables. You can serve them on a big board or platter, and let everyone build their own salad. Or you can serve in individual bowls and mix everything together. Pour the dressing into a bowl or jug and dress the salad at the table. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top and serve with slices of pickled ginger.

Serves 4