Japanese Bean Noodle Salad

This recipe was inspired by Gemma one of our diploma students who made the most beautiful Japanese salad with the sugar snap peas sliced lengthways to show the immature peas inside. You could use rice vermicelli or buckwheat soba noodles instead of the mung bean noodles. Top with fried marinated Tofu or tempeh, or sautéed sliced shitake mushrooms for a more substantial meal.

Japanese Bean Noodle Salad

Serves 2-3 for a light lunch | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• I small packet dried mung bean Fun Se (Bean Thread) noodles
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 100g sugar snaps
• 100g mangetout
• 100g edamame beans, defrosted if frozen (green soya beans)
• 2 spring onions, sliced thinly into long diagonal strips
• 4 radishes, sliced thinly

Dressing:

• 5cm piece ginger, grated coarsely
• 1-2 tsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 spring onions, sliced thinly into long diagonal strips
• Nanami Togarashi Japanese chilli seasoning or sesame seeds and chilli flakes

Method

1. Place the mung beans in a bowl, cover and soak in hot water from a kettle for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain then place in a bowl and mix in a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent them becoming sticky.
2. Blanch the sugar snaps and mangetout in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes until bright green but still crunchy. Drain and refresh under cold water to retain the colour and crunch. Once cool, slice lengthways in half and place in a bowl.
3. To make the dressing, squeeze the grated ginger over a bowl to extract as much juice as possible.
4. Mix with the remaining dressing ingredients, then taste and adjust if necessary. You want a balance of salty, sweet and sharp, so add a little extra of soya sauce, mirin or miso until you are happy with the flavour.
5. Mix half the dressing through the noodles and divide between 2 serving bowls.
6. Mix the remaining dressing through the mangetout, sugar snaps and edamame beans and place in the bowl attractively with the noodles and finally the radishes.
7. Serve garnished with the shredded spring onions and a sprinkle of Nanami Togarashi or sesame and chilli flakes.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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