Seaweed and Soba Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

This is one of my favourite salad dishes with soba noodles. The earthy soba noodles are served with “yakumi” condiments to add fragrance and flavours to the dish. It contains 5 different aromatic vegetables and herbs such as ginger, spring onions, and mint. You may also add chilly, or the zest of citrus fruits to taste. The creamy peanut sauce will give a rich texture to this salad.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 pack 200g Clearspring Organic Japanese 100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles
• 3 tbsp Clearspring Japanese Sea Vegetable Salad - Dried Sea Vegetable

Peanut sauce

• 3 tbsp Clearspring Organic Peanut Butter - Smooth

• 1½ tbsp Clearspring Organic Japanese Sweet White Miso Paste
• 3 tbsp Clearspring Organic Japanese Mikawa Mirin
• 2 tbsp Clearspring Organic Japanese Shoyu Soya Sauce
• 1½ tbsp Clearspring Organic Japanese Brown Rice Vinegar
• ¼ tsp grated or crushed garlic

 Yakumi (Condiments)

• 2 Spring onions, finely chopped (soak in cold water to remove bitterness, drain well)

• 10g Mint leaves, finely sliced across the fiber (remove the stem)
• 8g Coriander leaves, sliced finely
• 10g Ginger, peeled and sliced finely (or grated)
• 4 Red radishes, sliced finely (soak in cold water to remove bitterness, drain well)

Sprinkles

• 1 pack 30g Clearspring Snack Organic - Yaemon Tamari Roasted Almonds
• 1 pack Clearspring Organic Seaveg Crispies - Original

Method

1. Cook the soba noodles following the package instructions. 

   Drain and rinse the noodles thoroughly in cold water to stop overcooking.
2. Soak the sea vegetables in a bowl of water until reconstituted (it will take about 3 minutes). Drain well.
3. Blend all the peanut butter ingredients. Add a couple tablespoons of water to dilute before serving. You can also hand mix it. Add the smooth peanut butter, sweet white miso together in a mixing bowl, add mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar (1-2 tbsp each at a time to avoid the separation of seasonings), then stir in the garlic paste. It may be kept in the fridge for 3 days.
4. Prepare the yakumi condiments.
5. Crush the tamari almonds in the pack with a rolling pin or use a pestle and mortar and create small pieces. 
6. Serve the soba noodles in two serving dishes. Place the sea vegetables and yamuki on top then pour the peanut sauce on top. Sprinkle the crushed Tamari Almonds and Seaveg Crispies, and serve immediately.
7. Mix all the ingredients together before eating!

Chef

ATSUKO IKEDA

Founder of Atsuko’s Kitchen A well-established Japanese chef, cookbook author of Sushi Made Simple and Atsuko’s Japanese Kitchen and food photographer. She has been sharing her knowledge and techniques of Japanese cooking with a series of classes at Atsuko’s Kitchen in London since 2008, which introduces family favourites, alongside the art of sushi making.

Website - atsukoskitchen.com

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