Spring Soba Salad
Kristin Eriko Posner
Photo by Nicole Morrison
- Serves
- 4
- Prep Time
- 30 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 Hour 15 Minutes
When spring rolls around the weather is heats up in San Francisco after chilly winters. When I was growing up, warmer months meant chilled dishes like hiyashi chuka, Hawaii-style somen salad, Japanese-style somen (served on a glass plate and over ice to cool you down) and of course, soba salad. Soba salad also makes an easy, make-ahead lunch! Here’s my California take on a classic soba salad.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toasted black sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon grated/finely chopped ginger
Other Ingredients
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- Watercress or other leafy green
- Spring vegetables of your choice, cooked (asparagus, snap peas, and fiddleheads are all great additions)
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Shimeji mushrooms, lightly cooked in boiling water
- lightly pickled red onions
- 7-minute egg
- 4 servings of fresh soba noodles (look in the refrigerator or freezer section of your local Japanese grocery store)
- Sansho powder for sprinkling
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Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
First, toast your sesame seeds on a pan over the stove for a few minutes, until fragrant. I re-toast them even if the package says they are toasted because I think it helps coax out the flavor. Remove from the heat and cool for five minutes.
- Step 2
Toss the toasted sesame seeds into a blender and blend until it starts to stick together and becomes paste-like.
- Step 3
Add the remaining sauce ingredients and blend again until well combined.
- Step 4
Reheat soba noodles according to package instructions. I prefer to use refrigerated or frozen soba noodles because the springy texture is far superior to dried soba noodles. If you don’t have access to a Japanese grocery store, dried soba works fine in this recipe, too.
- Step 5
Toss soba noodles with dressing. Arrange remaining ingredients artfully on top of each bowl. Sprinkle with sansho powder and serve!