Soba salad

Ingredients

• 400 g dried soba noodles
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• pinch salt
• pinch sugar
• Japanese mustard karashi, optional, to serve
• 1 punnet micro greens (shiso or mache), to garnish

Salad dressing

• 125 ml (½ cup) soy sauce
• 75 g (⅓ cup) sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• chilli oil, to taste

Salad

• 3 cooked tiger prawns, peeled and halved lengthways
• 40 g sliced ham or turkey, cut into strips
• 40 g kanikama (imitation crab meat), cut into strips  
• 1 short cucumber, cut into strips
• ¼ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

1. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes or until just tender, start checking them at 2½ minutes. Drain the noodles, then immediately drop into a bowl of iced water to shock them so they firm up. Drain again, place in a large bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent them sticking.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and sugar. Heat a non-stick crepe pan or frying pan over medium–high heat. Spray with a little cooking oil, then pour enough egg into the pan to cover the base, tilting the pan as you go. Cook for 1 minute or until nearly set, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Flip onto a chopping board and repeat with the remaining egg. Stand until cool, then cut into thin strips.
3. For the salad dressing, place all the ingredients in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and stir to combine.
4. To serve, place the noodles in the centre of a serving plate or shallow bowl. Garnish with all the salad ingredients and the crepe, keeping all the elements separate for beautiful presentation. Garnish with micro herbs and serve the dressing and Japanese mustard karashi on the side.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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