Soba Noodle Salad with Eggplant and Mango
A vegan soba noodle salad with eggplant, mango, fresh herbs and a tangy lime-chili dressing. Lots of fresh flavors and textures. A great meal for hot summer days!
Yield: 4
Materials
For the Noodle Salad
- 2 medium eggplants (or 1 large eggplant- about 14 oz/400g)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable, olive or coconut oil (for cooking)
- 6 ounces (175 g) soba noodles (100% buckwheat if making this gluten free)
- 1 large mango, ripe, thinly sliced or cubed
- ½ cup (20 g) basil, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (20 g) cilantro, roughly chopped (or parsley, if preferred)
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
For the Dressing
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- ½ a red chili, finely chopped (optional)
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.
- Dice eggplant to ¾ inch cubes. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the oil. Add enough to just coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the eggplant. Cook, stirring often, until eggplant is soft and lightly golden on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add to a large bowl.
- While eggplant is cooking, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and stir to separate. Cook according to package instructions. (I highly recommend taste testing for doneness a couple of minutes before the time listed.) Drain well and rinse under cold, running water. Using your hands, swish the noodles while rinsing to remove excess starch. Drain well and add to the large bowl with the eggplant.
- Add the mango, herbs and red onion to the bowl. Dress the noodle salad with about half the dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing, if needed. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side. Leftovers keep well for 2 days in the refrigerator. Redress with any leftover dressing before eating.
Notes
-this salad holds well at room temperature for 1-2 hours after dressing.
-if making ahead, do not dress until you are ready to eat.
-Thai basil is a great substitute for the Italian basil. Use only half the amount if using Thai basil as it is stronger in taste.
-recipe adapted from Ottlenghi Plenty.