About the Recipe
Comforting and packed with phytoestrogens from the edamame and miso - this warm salad is your hot flush best friend. Soba noodles tossed in a white miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger dressing with shelled edamame, thinly sliced cucumber, julienned carrot, spring onions, and toasted sesame seeds. Takes about 15 minutes and keeps beautifully for lunch the next day if you want to double the recipe. The phytoestrogens in soy foods have been shown to help reduce the frequency of hot flushes in some women - and it tastes absolutely delicious, which is the main point really.
Ingredients
For the salad:
180g soba noodles (buckwheat)
1 cup shelled edamame (fresh or frozen, defrosted)
1 telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, julienned
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tablespoon warm water (to loosen the miso)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional, if you like a touch of sweetness)
Preparation
Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to the packet instructions, usually about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well under cold water to stop them cooking and wash off the excess starch. Set aside.
While the noodles cook, whisk together the miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil, grated ginger and warm water in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and add the honey if you'd like a little more roundness.
If using frozen edamame, pop them in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain.
In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the dressing until well coated.
Add the edamame, cucumber, carrot and spring onions, and toss again gently to combine.
Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds and serve warm, or pack into containers for lunch the next day.
Kerry's Tip: this salad is happy served warm or cold, so it's brilliant for meal prep. Just give it a good stir before eating if it's been in the fridge, as the noodles can soak up a bit of the dressing overnight.