The noodle salad is made with a mixture of ribboned carrot ‘noodles’ and rice noodles. The combination of fresh and pickled vegetables with the spicy avocado dressing a tart grapefruit is so refreshing you’ll be craving this when the warm weather really sets in.

Feel free to add less wasabi to this than specified if you’re not a big fan of spice, you can always add more if you feel you can handle it too! For me this is what summer is all about, fresh palate cleansing flavours that land in your mouth with a bang.

I love the crunchy carrot ribbons in this, it’s such a great texture and they look pretty too. Especially against all the other colours. The pickled radish not only adds that great funky fermented taste and the associated health benefits but they add to the general pretty vibe this dish has going on.

You can happily eat this by itself for lunch or a light dinner. You could also roll it up into a rice paper roll for a yummy filling or simply add a soft boiled egg if you want to up the protein content. The edamame helps with this anyway though! The bitter vibes in this salad are also great for your digestion!

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pickled Radish

3 radish, finely sliced

2 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1 Tbs water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp maple syrup or coconut sugar

Salad

150g rice noodles (I use Bun noodles) cooked according to packet instructions

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

few drops of sesame oil

3 carrots

2 spring onions

1.5 cups of mixed lettuce (mesculin works well)

2 cups edamame beans (I buy them frozen and just soak in hot water prior to use)

1/2 a pink grapefruit, skin and pith removed and segmented

Wasabi and Avocado dressing

1/2 an avocado

1 tsp wasabi

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

1 tsp ginger

few drops of sesame oil

2 – 3 tbs water

Directions

Start by placing the radish in a small bowl and pouring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt over them. Mix to combine and set aside for a minimum of 20 minutes (you can make this a few days in advance for a funkier flavour)

Toss the cooked noodles with the sesame oil and rice wine vinegar and place in the bottom of your serving bowl/bowls.

Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrot and toss the ribbons with the spring onion and mixed salad leaves. Place on top of the noodles. Pod the edamame and sprinkle the beans over the carrots and lettuce. Chop each grapefruit segment into thirds and sprinkle these over the salad as well. Lastly place slices of radish around the salad so it is evenly distributed.

Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor or blending with a stick blender. Add 2 Tbs of water at first and the third if your dressing is still too thick. You want it to be slightly looser than mayonnaise. drop spoonfuls of dressing around the plate and serve. As you eat stir and mix the salad to disperse ingredients.

HH. x