Mmmmmm miso paste. You are a fermented joy of salty stickiness and depth of flavour. And you make these soba noodles delicious. The slippery noodles, still crunchy wilted greens and crispy bits of roasted cauliflower mean this noodle dish has a lot of yum going on.

You can eat it hot or cold, which means it’s super easy to take to work and it should only take about 30 minutes to make. My kind of food. I shouldn’t say things like that, food is my kind of food. I’m clearly obsessed with it.

We need to talk about/acknowledge that I am terrible at peeling eggs. I get all impatient and stuff it up every time. See above as evidence. Please give fool proof tips in the comments!

Look at those crispy bits of cauliflower though! So good! You should get a few servings of veg out of this meal which is always good to have under your belt by lunch time. If you struggle to get vegetables into your diet then check out my post on including them in your snacks. I like to try and space out my vegetables throughout the day. Sometimes I manage to get a serve or 3 in at breakfast, always at least 2 if not way more at lunch and then same again at dinner. One of the main reasons I like eating vegetarian lunches is it forces me to eat more vegetables. And there’s no arguing with that being good for you.

Miso is one of those things that brings a big smack of flavour to a meal. I think this is true of most fermented products, they have an intensity to them that I love. Miso butter is one of my favourite indulgences, over asparagus in Spring or brussel sprouts right now. There’s no butter in this recipe but the miso falvour with the sesame really makes it sing.

You could easily make this recipe gluten free by using tamari instead of soy and buckwheat soba noodles, just remember to dress them immediately after rinsing. You could also make it vegan by omitting the egg.

Ingredients

270g soba noodles

1/3 cup finely chopped spring onions

1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp tamari or soy

1 Tbs chilli oil, including some flakes

1 tsp macadamia or peanut oil

3 drops sesame oil

1.5 Tbs lime juice

Roasted Cauliflower + Marinade

1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets

3 drops sesame oil

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp peanut or macadamia oil

2 tsp chilli oil, including flakes

1 tsp soy sauce

Greens

2 bunches Chinese broccoli, last inch of stems removed, well rinsed and chopped in thirds horizontally

1 tsp soy or oyster sauce

1 Tbs spring onions finely sliced

Toppings

4 soft boiled eggs, slice in half

2 Tbs julienned radish

1/2 cup coriander

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Whisk together the cauliflower marinade ingredients. Place cauliflower florets in a large pot with 1 cup of water. Cook for 2 minutes until just starting to soften. Drain well and toss in marinade. Place in a single layer on prepared baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are crispy and golden.

Dressing: In a small bowl use the back of a spoon to combine the miso, ginger and peanut oil, add other ingredients one at a time making sure everything is amalgamated. Cook noodles according to packet directions. Drain and toss with the spring onion, sesame seeds and dressing. Set aside.

Place chinese broccoli in a large pot with 1/2 cup of water, the remaining spring onions and the soy sauce. Cook for a2 minutes or until just wilted. Set aside.

Serve the Chinese broccoli, noodles and roasted cauliflower together in a bowl. Top with the egg, coriander and radish.

HH. x