Cold Soba Salad with Strawberries
Weird but true
… actually, it only sounds weird — you have to believe me when I tell you that it works. It’s an unusual combination to be sure, one I first came up with when I wrote a little mini book on Strawberries. That particular project really forced me to get creative with less expected ways to use strawberries. What I realized is that the sweetness and acidity levels of strawberries is not very different f2rom those of tomatoes (especially little cherry tomatoes), so why not use them in places you might use tomatoes?
I like this recipe so much that I included it in Open Kitchen, my last book (on page 243). If you have that book, you may be familiar. While I strive to bring you predominantly new recipes here on Susanality, occasionally I like to highlight an old favorite like this one in case you overlooked it!
There is nothing more refreshing than a cold noodle salad in the summer, and this one packs a lot of flavor thanks to hot chilies, blistered shishitos, and toasted sesame oil. It gets crunch and freshness from cucumbers (but sugar snap peas would be cool too) and lots of mint and cilantro (or basil). Finally, the juicy berries add a cool and sweet-tart contrast to the salty flavors of the miso-based dressing. Plus, the strawberries look like gorgeous jewels in the salad.
I made this last night to make a reel for Instagram, and we ate it with a piece of grilled salmon, which made a really lovely and pretty low-effort dinner. It would go really well with any other grilled protein like chicken, shrimp, tofu, pork tenderloin, or steak too.
My only caveat to you is that the strawberries do not hold up well once added to the salad, so if you want to assemble this ahead of time, dress the noodles and add everything but the strawberries. Chill until ready to serve and add the berries just before serving. Eat it all, which shouldn’t be too hard!
Celebrating a special occasion in the coming days — or perhaps the official arrival of summer? Make my Strawberry Brita Cake! I shared a reel of it last week and some people wrote asking for the link to the recipe. Here it is!
A few updates and reminders about my book tour:
Philly friends:
The lunch and book signing event at Maximalist Studios in Philadelphia was postponed until September 14th because of my unfortunate and poorly timed run-in with Covid, so if you purchased tickets and can still make it, I’ll see you then. If you couldn’t come in June, but can make it in September, tickets are available here!
The tickets are $125, which includes my book, wine, a beautiful lunch of dishes from Veg Forward prepared by Balboa Catering, and a demo with me! The event will be prop styled by Maximalist Studios’ chief creative — and my friend and former colleague at Martha Stewart Living — Eddie Ross.
I’m offering a 20% discount to Susanality readers, so if you’re interested, follow this link and use the code MAXSPUNGEN. I hope to see you there!
Hamptons neighbors:
If you’re in the Hamptons, I have another book signing event on Saturday, July 8th, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the beautiful Sagaponack Farm Distillery, which is owned by Marilee Foster, a farmer whose gorgeous produce has inspired me for decades. There will be some bites from the book, a special cocktail paired with some very local spirits, and books for sale.
People everywhere!
The ticket link is LIVE for my virtual class with Milk Street Cooking School on Wednesday, July 12th, at 6 p.m. EDT. Join me for a live cooking class called “Life’s a Picnic: French-Inspired Summer with Susan Spungen.” During it, I’ll be teaching you how to make French classics like ratatouille in a new way, and you’ll have dinner ready to eat at the end of it. Since it’s on Zoom, you can join from anywhere — I’d love to meet you!
Enter promo code VEGFORWARD to receive 15% off your reservation for the class!
New Jersey/Bucks County friends:
Booking is also now open for my event at Canal House Station in Milford, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 16th from 12 to 4 p.m. The proprietors, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, are both old friends of mine, and I’m so honored that they are devoting their entire Sunday service to me and my book. This dinner is part of their usual Sunday Dinner series, but will feature dishes from Veg Forward along with their famous Canal House Roast Chicken. If you’re interested in attending this very special event, email eat@canalhousestation.com or call (908) 995-7200 to request a reservation. The price per person is $125, which includes a book and the meal. Canal House is a BYOB restaurant, so feel free to bring your own wine. Don’t delay, because these dinners tend to sell out fast, and I’m opening it up to Susanality readers ahead of the general public!
Upstate NY folks:
The ticket link for my dinner with Westerly Canteen on August 3rd at Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic, New York, is live as well! This dinner promises to be special, with Molly Levine — a talented chef and Chez Panisse alum — cooking in a beautiful setting. This is a sit-down event that includes a welcome cocktail, wine, and a multi-course dinner of dishes from Veg Forward, as well as a signed book. Read more about Molly’s airstream trailer kitchen here; I’ll be hanging around the trailer over that weekend signing books if you can’t make it to the dinner!
Please review Veg Forward on Amazon!
I hope that those of you who ordered Veg Forward are enjoying it! As you may already know, leaving a review on Amazon (whether or not you purchased the book there) is really helpful to authors (like me) as it helps the book be more visible to more people. Thank you in advance!
Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Strawberries
Serves 6 to 8
For the dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white miso
1 hot red chile, finely minced, or more to taste
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
For the salad:
One 8- or 8.8-ounce package soba noodles
4 ounces shishito peppers (if not in season, substitute cubanelle or poblano peppers)
2 Kirby or Persian (mini) cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
8 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut in half (about 2 cups)
1 small red chile, thinly sliced
2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped if large
To make the dressing: Stir the vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl until dissolved. Add the miso, chile, and oil and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions to al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain well. Place in a serving bowl and toss with the dressing.
Grill the shishito peppers on a hot grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until blistered and softened. Cool, then slice on a bias, avoiding the seeds.
Top the dressed noodles with the grilled peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, red chile, scallions, mint, and cilantro and mix gently to combine.
If you haven’t bought my book yet, what are you waiting for? The summer chapter is just begging to be cooked from! It’s full of ideas for what to cook right now as well as throughout the year!
Editor: Molly Ramsey
We had this for dinner tonight..it was delish!!! I’ll be making it again..but will omit the shishitos..don’t think they are worth the extra effort..particularly liked the dressing..thanks for the recipe
Susan, I made this salad from your lovely "Open Kitchen" when that book first came out. Your headnote advises that, apart from the strawberries, it can marinate for a while. I found that my soba got grainy in texture from sitting in the dressing. I suspect it was the brand of dried soba. Your post reminded me how much I liked the taste of this unusual recipe, so I'm going to try it again, this time with the excellent fresh Korean soba I've been buying lately.