Orange Soba Noodle Salad (and a meal plan)
Why I Love This Recipe
So . . . I had my salad made the day before, and with it I served vegetarian spring rolls that only required baking. They were done a little before I was ready to serve the food, so I turned the oven to 200 degrees F and left them in to stay warm.
I also made almond-crusted tofu–which had a wonderful flavor and a pleasing crunch–from the blog A Mingling of Tastes. Great recipe–wonderful food blog.
My husband, who lived in Japan for a time, informed me that in Japan, it’s customary to eat soba noodles with an additional sauce on the side. I thought that our almond-crusted tofu and spring rolls could probably use some sauce anyway, so I served some refrigerated, store-bought peanut sauce I had–poured into a ramekin, and I made another simple sauce in another ramekin as well, Soy-Molasses Sauce (see recipe)
Ingredients You'll Need
1 pkg. soba noodles (a normal spaghetti box’s worth of them)
2 oranges
4 green onions (or more to taste)
2 carrots
1/2 tsp. ginger (or more to taste)
2 T Bragg’s (you could use soy sauce)–or more or less to taste
1 T sesame oil
1/2 c. big sprouts (I used sunflower ones, which tasted very green)
sesame seeds (or some type of nuts)
chopped cilantro (optional)
Directions
Heat a big pot of water to boiling for your soba noodles.
In the meantime, squeeze the juice from one orange into a large, non-reactive bowl. Peel the other orange and cut it into small, half-bite size pieces. Add to the bowl.
When your water is boiling, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Be careful not to cook them too long, or they’ll be grossly mushy.
While the soba is cooking, thinly slice your green onions–green and white parts. Add to the bowl.
Shred the carrots using a box grater and put the shredded carrots in the bowl. Add the ginger, and stir the ingredients together.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put the noodles in the bowl. Add 1 T of Bragg’s (or soy sauce) and 1 T of sesame oil, and toss. Taste and add more Bragg’s as necessary. You want a flavor that is both salty and sweet.
Add your sprouts and toss again.
At this point you can either serve the stuff hot, let it cool to room temp., or refrigerate it to get it cold. I made it a day in advance to let the flavors meld.
Right before you serve it, toast the sesame seeds (or nuts) in a dry pan on med-high for 2-3 minutes, stirring once, and sprinkle them on the salad.
(When I make it again, I’ll probably add some cilantro.)