crunchy soba bowl

i made a soba bowl to go with our tofu satay last week. i decided on a light sauce to drizzle over the noodles to balance out the heavier satay sauce and used vegetables we had on hand for the toppings. i loved the flavors in here but one of my favorite things about this was the contrast of the soft noodles with the crunchy vegetables which resulted in a delightfully fresh and light dish. you could easily swap out the toppings with whatever you may have hanging around but i would recommend leaving them raw if possible or just barely blanching them if needed.

crunchy soba bowl
ingredients:
8 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons mirin
3 small bunches soba
1/2 small head of cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 red pepper, quartered lenthwise and very thinly sliced
1 sheet nori, toasted* and crumbled
8 cloves of roasted garlic, thinly sliced
sesame seeds

cook the soba according to package instructions.

for the sauce, whisk the first four ingredients in a bowl (i must admit i don't remember the exact quantities of each so you might need to add a little more of this or that to adjust. sorry.). set aside.

when the noodles are done cooking assemble your bowl: place noodles in the bottom and drizzle with a bit of the sauce. top with veggies and nori and sprinkle with sesame seeds. drizzle more sauce if desired. enjoy!

*there are two easy ways to toast nori; one is to heat a pan and briefly toast the nori for a few seconds on each side, the other more fun way (if you have a gas stove) is to turn the flame up high and use tongs to wave the nori over the flame for a few seconds until toasted.

-d

nori salad rolls

another delight from the artful vegan. this is probably one of the simpler recipes we made because you're really just taking salad and rolling it in nori, and it's quicker and easier than sushi because you don't have to deal with any rice. just a little chopping, shredding and rolling and you're good to go. the kumquat lime dressing that went with these is delicious as well.

nori salad roll
(the artful vegan)
ingredients:
6 sheets toasted nori
1 1/2 cups shredded chinese cabbage
1 1/2 cups watercress (i forgot to buy this for ours but i bet it's delicious)
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 heaping cup shredded peeled carrot
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
1 red grapefruit, peeled and segmented
2/3 cup chopped toasted peanuts
1/3 cup mint chiffonade
1/3 cup cilantro leaves

spicy, sweet, and sour kumquat-lime dressing
ingredients:
6 tablespoons unrefined sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more as needed
6 kumquats thinly sliced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon guar gum*

to make the dressing:
place a saucepan over medium heat and add the sugar and water. cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. remove from heat. add the pepper flakes, kumquat, ginger, lime juice, salt and guar gum. whisk thoroughly to dissolve the guar gum. let cool to room temperature, or chill, before serving. (store refrigerated for up to 1 week).

to make the rolls:
lay a nori sheet flat on a plate (i used a sushi rolling mat). spread 1/4 cup each of the cabbage, watercress and bean sprouts over the nori. follow with 1/6th of the carrot, mango, grapefruit, mint and cilantro, and 2 teaspoons of the peanuts. drizzle 1 tablespoon of the dressing over the salad ingredients, dampen the edge of the sheet and roll tightly to seal. repeat with remaining 5 rolls.**

to serve:
slice each roll ito thirds, and place vertically in the center of a plate. spoon dressing around the plate. sprinkle peanuts around the plate. place a sprig of watercress or mint in the center of each roll (if you're really feeling fancy)

*i couldn't find guar gum at the store and the dressing was fine without it. i think if you add it, it'll just make your dressing a little bit thicker but it's not necessary.
**or, ya know, just eyeball all those measurements.

-d