Instead of spending money on going out, I got together with Iron Chefs; Rob, David and Jason, for a cook off. We decided to try a Japanese soba noodle salad. I’ve been wanting to try noodle salads for ages, and since the weather is getting warmer, healthy salads are always a great option.

I have had this recipe sitting in my “recipes to try before filing away” folder. This folder is so full I better start cooking my way through it before it explodes! We decided to serve our noodle salad with some sushi rolls in case the salad wasn’t filling enough. It was a really refreshing dinner. The salad could have done with a bit more dressing, but I think that was due to the fact we cooked a little more soba noodles than required.

We all agreed more dressing was required, and Jason went to the fridge to get the French dressing. I’m not sure what French dressing and a Japanese noodle salad taste like but he gobbled it all up with no hesitations. The tofu was meant to be eaten raw, but as we thought that was a little weird (even the vegetarians thought that it was weird to eat tofu uncooked) we fried it up with a little soya sauce.

Japanese Buckwheat Noodle Salad with Tofu & Soy-Chilli Dressing
Michelle Curtis

For the dressing:
2 tsp castor sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
2 tsp sesame oil
2 small red chillies, deseeded and diced

For the salad:
125g soba noodles
100g snow peas
½ red capsicum, finely diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
4 red shallots, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp coriander, chopped
1 tbsp Vietnamese mint (optional), chopped
250g firm silken tofu
fried shallots, to serve

1. Mix the ingredients together, ensuring the castor sugar dissolves. Set aside.

2. Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes and refresh under cold running water.

3. Boil the snow peas for 2 minutes, refresh under cold running water and slice thinly.

4. Place the noodles and snow peas in a large bowl, then add the capsicum, carrot, cucumber, shallots, coriander and Vietnamese mint (if using). Toss gently, add the dressing, and pile onto a platter. Dice tofu, scatter over the top and sprinkle fried shallots over.Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Voila! Bon Appétit!