Soba Salad Recipe for Hot Sticky Evenings

Summer is here and its hotter than a wombat’s armpit. In the heat of the day, or in the long and glorious sultry evenings that demand a drink on the deck it is hard to think of what to make for dinner.

Soba is Cool

Anything that requires hours slaving over a hot stove or oven is out of the question, and ordering pizza or visiting the drive-through is a big no-no when you are thinking about weekend speedos and bikinis.

So what to have?

May we recommend a yummycool dish packed with powerful phytonutrients and trace minerals? A dish you make with one pot of water in less than 25 minutes and serve in easily cleaned bowls? Gluten free, antioxidant rich and full of fibre.

It is exotic and tasty enough to make for great water-cooler conversation, yet inexpensive and difficult to get wrong:

Soba Salad

Soba is a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. You can find them in any supermarket or Asian specialty grocery shop, normally sold as a single pack divided into three dried and bound portions.

Made from Buckwheat

Buckwheat is an ancient staple food which once vied for prominence with wheat and rice in some parts of the world. It has become much less common over the last hundred years because it does not benefit from modern fertilizers as much as common grains do.

Buckwheat is not related to wheat at all. In fact, it is not even a grain. It is the seed of the fruit of a plant in the rhubarb family.

We could go on about how buckwheat is high in flavonoids and magnesium and has a low GI, but by now you probably just want to know how to make a simple yet tasty Soba Noodle Salad:

Soba Noodle Salad, serves 4, 309 calories per serve

Ingredients:

• 270g dried soba noodles
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup soya sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup coriander, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
• Juice from 1 lemon or lime

Directions:

1. Cook the noodles as per the pack instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water, then drain again.
2. Place drained noodles in a large bowl then toss in the coriander, carrots and cucumber
3. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl to make dressing
4. Pour dressing over the noodles and toss to combine
5. Refrigerate to desired coolness, then serve

Fresh steamed fish or slices of cold smoked salmon would be a great accompaniment to this salad. A light, delicate wine will complement the subtle taste and texture of the Soba.

Enjoy!