Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

Something momentous happened yesterday.

I became the first food blogger ever* to nearly mess up boiling noodles.

I whipped up this awesome sesame noodle salad for dinner last night, and after I finished boiling the edamame, I looked at the medium-sized saucepan and thought to myself, "That entire package of noodles will totally fit. Spatial relations skills and common sense are for losers," as I stuffed the noodles into the undersized pot.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. I turned my back for about 20 seconds after putting the noodles in, and boiling water was spewing everywhere. Not just a little overflow - I'm talking a full on boiling tidal wave. Most normal people would've taken the pot off, drained some water, and moved on. Not this braniac. I wielded a ladle in one hand, and a slotted spoon in the other, and scooped out water ladleful by ladleful, hurling the excess water into the sink as I went, while simultaneously stirring the noodles.

Please consider this a cautionary tale. Use a large pot when cooking soba noodles.

Do as I say, not as I do. Because I do dumb things.

(*at least I hope...)


Here's what you'll need:

For the salad:

1 red pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely minced cilantro
1 1/2 cup frozen edamame, cooked according to package directions and cooled for a few minutes
1 8.8-ounce package of soba noodles
Sesame seeds, for garnish

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons honey
Salt, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, green onions, cilantro, and cooked edamame.

When the water is boiling, add the soba noodles, and cook until they're done. These cook much more quickly than traditional pasta, so make a note of the cooking time indicated on the package, and start checking for doneness about a minute before time is up.

While the noodles are cooking, whisk all of the ingredients together for your salad dressing.

When the noodles are done, drain in a colander and immediately rinse with cold water. Add the noodles to your bowl with the vegetables and toss with the dressing. Check to see if you need more salt, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Source: Daily Garnish (If you're not already a reader of Emily's site, do yourself a favor and check it out. She pretty much has the cutest baby ever. And she went to culinary school, so I'm doubly jealous!)
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