Just in time for the warm weather this weekend I have for you a spring soba salad recipe! A zesty and nutritious lunch salad featuring lots of the best produce for this time of year. In particular, I’ve included some green garlic, which are similar to spring onions and have a mild and pleasant garlic taste when eaten raw. Peppery radish, sweet snow peas, asparagus ribbons and creamy avocado make this a celebration of all things spring!
Sorry that I’ve been a little quiet on the blog front – I’ve been job hunting for some additional casual work outside of my main job and I find it hard to focus on creative things when my day to day routine is so up in the air. I’m a creature of habit, and this has not been my favourite time recently. All this to say that I’ve been stuck in a bit of a food rut, and the only salvation has been these new spring additions to my organic veggie box and a wonderful new cookbook that I am looking forward to cooking my way through. I should be back to my usual weekly posts next week! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this simple and quick recipe. xx Liberty
Spring Soba
This is quite a light salad, but can be bulked up by the addition of panfried tofu if desired. Use 100% buckwheat soba for a more nutritious and gluten free salad. Green garlic are young spring garlic shoots, with a pleasant and mild garlic taste, substitute spring onions if you’re unable to find them. A mandoline makes quick work of slicing the asparagus and radish, and a vegetable peeler will also work to make asparagus ribbons. Best made the day of serving.
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
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Spring Soba
200g asparagus, shaved into ribbons
100g radish, thinly sliced
100g snow peas, deveined and sliced in 1cm pieces
50g fresh coriander (cilantro), stems and leaves chopped finely
1 avocado, thinly sliced
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Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water for 4 minutes (or as per packet instructions). Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water to remove excess starch, and drain again.
Meanwhile, toast the sunflower seeds for a minute in a frying pan over medium heat. When starting to colour, add the sesame seeds and cook for a moment longer till both are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a small bowl mix the sauces, ginger and coconut sugar till combined. Taste the dressing and adjust to taste (more tamari, more sugar, etc). Place the noodles in a large bowl along with the asparagus, green garlic, radish, snow peas, and coriander. Add the dressing and toss well with your hands. Taste and season with salt, if desired. Serve topped with avocado and the toasted seeds.
