Cold Soba Noodle Salad With Chicken Peppers And Cucumber Recipes

COLD SOBA-NOODLE SALAD WITH CHICKEN, PEPPERS, AND CUCUMBER

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente; drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together oils, lime juice, and vinegar; season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add bell peppers, basil, cucumber, chicken, and noodles to bowl; toss with dressing. Serve noodle salad with lime wedges.

CHICKEN AND MANGO SOBA SALAD WITH PEANUT DRESSING

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, lime juice and Sriracha until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Add sugar, if using, and stir. Set aside.
• Drop the snap peas into the boiling water and cook until they just turn bright green, about 30 seconds. Using a mesh strainer or a spider (leave the water in the pot), transfer to a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain and slice each pea lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. Set aside.
• Return water to a boil and cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool (if noodles get sticky, rinse again with cool water).
• In a large serving bowl, toss noodles with the chicken, mango and peanut dressing. Add two-thirds of the snap peas, cucumbers, cilantro and chiles, reserving the rest for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• When ready to serve, top with remaining snap peas, cucumbers, cilantro and chiles and serve immediately.

SOBA NOODLE SALAD WITH CUCUMBER AND MANGO

Steps:

• Warm vinegar, sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and jalapeño. Cool. Mix in lime juice, sesame oil, and lime peel.
• Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Rinse under cold water; drain again. Transfer noodles to dish-towel-lined platter to drain. Transfer noodles to large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Add cucumber, mango, basil, and mint to noodles and toss gently. Arrange salad on platter. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Garnish with lime wedges. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

COLD SOBA NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Drop in soba noodles and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 7 minutes. Drain.
• Toss noodles with sesame oil in a medium bowl. Divide noodles evenly between the 5 containers.
• Top noodles with edamame, carrot, green onions, and cilantro, dividing them evenly between the 5 containers. Place lids on containers. Pour 1/4 cup peanut sauce into each dressing container. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Mix 1 dressing container with 1 serving of soba salad to serve.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH LEMON-SESAME DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-low. Add the chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook, breaking up into small pieces, until opaque and just cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes. (You're not looking to brown the meat here, which would risk drying it out.) Remove from heat to cool.
• In a large bowl, stir together the miso, lemon zest and juice, ginger and 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil.
• When the chicken is no longer hot (warm or cool both work), use a slotted spoon to add it to the bowl with the dressing, leaving any chicken juices behind. Stir to combine. Add the sliced celery, celery leaves, basil and sesame seeds; stir to combine. Taste, and if it needs more spice, add black pepper; if it's bland, add salt; if it's dry, add sesame oil. Eat warm or at room temperature. (Leftovers will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

COLD SOBA NOODLE SALAD WITH CUCUMBER AND SHIITAKE

Steps:

• Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms and scallions with the peanut oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill the mushrooms over moderate heat, turning once, until cooked through and tender, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Grill the scallions, turning once, until softened and blackened in spots, about 2 minutes; add to the mushrooms.
• Let the mushrooms and scallions cool, then thinly slice them.
• In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the ginger, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar and chili oil.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the soba noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes; drain.
• Transfer the noodles to a large bowl. Add the mushrooms, scallions, cucumber and dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

SESAME CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Place the sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sugar, soy sauce and red-pepper flakes into a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk until emulsified. Taste, and adjust seasonings. (Dressing should taste acidic, a little sweet and salty.)
• When you're ready to eat, prepare the salad: Halve the avocados and discard the pits. Using a small paring knife, carefully score the avocado flesh into 1/2-inch cubes, avoiding cutting through the skin. Use a large spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh (in one spoonful, if possible), as close to the skin as possible. Transfer avocado cubes to a large bowl and add the dressing; toss gently.
• Add the cucumbers and scallions and toss everything together. Season with salt and black pepper, top with more sesame seeds, and serve immediately.