Soba Noodle Salad
This tasty Soba Noodle Salad is not only vegan, but also gluten-free and nut-free! With a dressing that's packing a punch of flavour with tahini, rice vinegar and garlic, this salad is quite addictive.
From the book
Oh She Glows Every Day
Plant-based recipes to fall in love with
Inspiring vegan recipes
Vegan twists on family favourites
Introduction
Once I start eating this beautiful soba noodle salad, it’s hard to stop! It’s light and energizing, but the fibre-rich soba noodles and crispy tofu give it plenty of protein and staying power. The simple sesame-tahini dressing is both sweet and tangy, thanks to the combo of rice vinegar and maple syrup, and sometimes I like to add it to stir-fries and other grain bowls as well as this dish. The soba salad can be served warm or cold, making it a great option for any season. If you’d like to experiment with different textures, you can use spiral or bow-tie pasta or even spiralized carrot or courgette ‘pasta’ in lieu of the soba noodles.
Ingredients
| For the dressing: | |
| 60ml | toasted or untoasted sesame oil (see Tip) |
| 3 to 4 tbsp | rice vinegar, to taste (I like it tangy, so I use 4) |
| 25ml | tahini |
| 1 tbsp | pure maple syrup, or to taste |
| 1 tbsp | low-sodium tamari |
| 2 | cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane |
| For the salad: | |
| 1 225g | pack soba noodles |
| 1 | medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 220g) |
| 1 | medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced 220g |
| 3 to 4 | onions, finely chopped (80g) |
| 50g | coriander leaves, minced |
| 1 batch (340-450g) | Cast-Iron Tofu (page 137 of Oh She Glows Every Day) |
| Fine sea salt | |
| 1 tbsp | sesame seeds, for garnish |
| Fresh lime juice, for serving (optional) | |
| Sriracha, for serving |
Method
Prepare the Cast-Iron Tofu (page 137 of Oh She Glows Every Day).
Make the dressing In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate to thicken slightly.
Make the salad Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Add the bell peppers, spring onions and coriander to the bowl with the noodles. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Add half the tofu cubes and toss again. Taste and season with sea salt if necessary.
Top the salad with the remaining tofu, sesame seeds, and coriander scattered on top. You can also add a squeeze of lime juice on top of each bowl just before serving or simply serve with a lime wedge. The salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tofu will soften as it sits, but it’s still very tasty!
