INGREDIENTS:

Asian Noodle Salad with Tofu & Sesame

I like noodles. All kinds - pasta, bak chor mee, instant noodles, ramen, laksa ...Basically, if it's long, springy and slurpably capable of dragging sauce along with it, I'm in.

During my foodblog travels, I wandered upon this recipe for Asian Noodle Salad and it looked so awesomely scrumpdillumptious mega-yum that it's been on my mind ever since! Had a chance to make it today and it's every bit as fresh-tasty-crunchy-tangy-salty as it looks! Just a few minor adaptations to Ree's recipe - I think grating the ginger vs chopping into the dressing makes a difference, and I also added some grated daikon. I added toasted sesame seeds which I think is REALLY important, and little cubes of soy-marinated tofu.

Deeeee-licious! But hey, don't take my word for it - try it yourself!

PREPARATION:

SERVINGS: 2 as a main

PREP-to-MOUTH: 30mins

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: None

Start by bringing a pot of water to boil for the spaghetti.

Then, prepare the dressing so all the flavours have time to infuuussseee.

• Mince garlic.
• Grate ginger.
• Grate thewhite radish.
  
• Chop the stalks of the coriander leaves into little dice (save the leaves for the salad).
• Get a bowl out and add the soy sauce, blended oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks. Squeeze the lime into the dressing, tasting as you go and stop when it's tangy enough for you.
• Give everything a whisk to blend.
• Dice the tofu into small cubes and add to the dressing to marinate while you prepare the other stuff, turning every now and then.

• Next, cook the spaghetti by snapping the noodles in half and adding it to boiling water to cook until tender, about 15mins.

While the spaghetti is cooking, get a big bowl out and prepare the vegetables, dumping everything into the bowl as you go.

• Shred cabbage into fine slivers.
• Chop the romaine lettuce.
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel slivers off the carrot then slice lengthways into ribbons.
• Slice the red and green pepper.
• Snip spring onions into little circles.
• Slice chilli.
• Pluck the leaves off the coriander.

This might seem like alot of work, but it isn't really - you'll be done in 10mins max!

• The spaghetti should be done by now so drain it well and put it back into the hot dry pan (heat off) and swirl it around to steam off the excess water.
• Pour a little of the dressing into the pot of spaghetti and using tongs, swirl the spaghetti around in the sauce to absorb the lovely flavour.
• Add the spaghetti to the bowl of veggies.
• Add baby spinach leaves.
• Using kitchen tongs or chopsticks, toss everything together well.
• Pour in half of the dressing, add the cashews and sesame seeds then toss again. Taste. If you'd like more dressing, add more otherwise stop there (the dressing will keep for a week in the fridge and can also be used as a lovely marinade).