Flavorful and colorful tahini soba salad
Easy, delicious, beautiful, and packed with nutrients and flavors, it's a go-to salad for summer and beyond.
Ingredients
- 1 pint Cherry tomatoes Can use any tomatoes.
- 1 Orange bell pepper Can use red or yellow.
- 3 Lebanese cucumbers Can use one regular cucumber.
- 1/5 Daikon radish About 1 cup in matchstick cut. Can use other types of radishes.
- 8 Dried shiitake mushroom Hydrated and cooked.
- 1/4 cup Basil leaves Teared apart or chopped into small pieces.
- 1/2 cup Cilantro leaves Teared apart or chopped into small pieces.
- 1/4 cup Mint leaves Teared apart or chopped into small pieces.
- 8 oz Dried soba noodles Feel free to use more.
- 1/8 tsp Salt To sprinkle over vegetables before squeezing.
For dressing
- 3 tbsps Tahini
- 2-1/2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup Can use honey, or a sweet relish.
- 1-1/2 tbsp Rice vinegar Can use apple cider or other light colored vinegar.
- 2 cloves Garlic More, if you like. Pressed.
- 1/2 inch Ginger root Grated. Feel free to use powder, about 1/2 tsp.
- 5 stalks Green onion White and pale green parts only, chopped.
- 2 tsp Sesame oil Adjust the amount, depending on the amount of oil in the Tahini.
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp Crushed red peppers More, if you like the heat.
For air-fried (or grilled) shrimps
- 12 oz Shrimps Tails removed
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Paprika powder Or any of your favorite seasoning.
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
Prepare vegetables
- Line up all the ingredients together.
- Cherry tomatoes - cut in half and sprinkle a very light (1/8 of tsp) salt.
- Cucumbers, bell pepper, and daikon - slice in rough matchstick size and place them in a colander.
- Sprinkle a tiny amount of salt (about 1/4-tsp) over cucumber/bell pepper/daikon and let stand for about 10 minutes. Lightly squeeze excess liquids.
- Cilantro, basil, mint leaves - chop or tear apart (with fingers) in small pieces.
Cook noodles (and blanche vegetables), same from the soba noodle salad
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Keep the flame medium-high. Throw in vegetables that need blanching (peas, broccoli) and immediately fish them out. When the water returns to a boil again, throw in noodles, wait until the water returns to a vigorous boil, and throw in 1-1/2 cups of cold water. When it returns to a vigorous boil again, turn off the heat and let it sit for about 2 minutes before draining. The total noodle boiling time is about 6-7 minutes, depending on your preference and how much buckwheat v wheat flours the noodle contains. After you drain the noodles, rinse quickly under a cold water.
Cook pre-soaked dried shiitake mushroom
- (You can follow the same procedure in the soba noodle salad). To soak dried shiitake, briefly wash them just to remove dirt, place them in a glass jar just large enough to fit all the pieces, and add a tsp of sugar. Pour lukewarm water over shiitake enough to cover all the pieces, close the lid to push down all the pieces in the liquid, and let it stand for about 30 minutes, until all the pieces soften and double in size. (NOTE: I often soak them in a batch and keep the unused pieces in a fridge, which can last up to 2-3 weeks.)
- Slice softened shiitake in thin pieces and cook for about 10 minutes in a small sauce pan with 2-3 tablespoons of pre-soak water + 1/2 tsp of soy sauce and let them cool in the pan. After fishing out shiitake to a plate, add, if any, remaining liquid to the dressing.
Make Tahini dressing
- Prepare aromatics - mince green onion stalks (mostly white/pale green parts only), press or mince garlic cloves, and grate ginger root.
- Mix aromatics, and about 3/4 of Tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, a dash of red chili flakes, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Taste and make adjustments.
Cook shrimps
- Sprinkle slat and paprika powder (or whatever spice mix you like) over shrimps, mix, and let stand about 10 min. I usually use the turmeric spice mix because it goes with many things, especially sea foods.
- Lightly coat shrimp pieces with sesame oil and grill or cook in air fryer, for about 8 minutes.
Assemble everything together
- Set aside a few sprigs of mint/cilantro to sprinkle at the end.
- Place all the vegetables, herbs, and shiitake mushrooms in a large bowl. Pour over about 1/2 of the dressing, thoroughly coat all the ingredients by gently caressing.
- Add soba, and pour about 1/2 of the remaining dressing. Mix everything together, taste, and add more dressing as you please.
- Add shrimp and mix everything together. After plating, sprinkle the herb pieces you set aside.
Nutrition
Calories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 32gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1052mgPotassium: 1264mgFiber: 5gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 2240IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 202mgIron: 5mg
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