Soba noodle salad with soft eggs, kale, and kabocha
2
- Makes4 Servings
Soba noodle salad with soft eggs, kale, and kabocha. Photo, David L. Reamer.
The humble egg is the most versatile ingredient in the kitchen, yet eggs can still be intimidating to cook. Try this recipe from Eggs on Top, Andrea Slonecker, and you'll be serving eggs for weeknight suppers in no time.
Ingredients
3 tsp Asian sesame oil
4 tsp honey
salt
3 cups bite-sized pieces of peeled kabocha squash, or other winter squash, about 360 g
225 g soba noodles
2 1/2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
3 cups lightly packed kale, preferably purple, torn into bite-size pieces, about 60 g
4 five-minute eggs, see below, at room temperature
2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on a severe diagonal
Togarashi chili, or other chili pepper, for garnish
Instructions
PREHEAT the oven to 450°F/230°C/gas 8.
WHISK together 2 tsp of the sesame oil, 2 tsp of the honey, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl and add the squash, tossing to coat well. Spread the squash out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender and deeply browned on the bottoms and edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
BRING a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop in the noodles, stir, and cook according to the package instructions until tender but chewy. Drain the noodles, reserving about 1/4 cup/60 ml of the cooking water. Rinse well to remove the surface starch under cold running water until cooled, then drain again very well.
WHISK together the tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, the remaining 2 tsp of honey, and the remaining 1 tsp of sesame oil in a large bowl (you can use the same one the squash was tossed in). Whisk in enough of the reserved cooking water to thin the dressing, usually about 2 tbsp.
TOSS the noodles and kale in the dressing to coat well. Pile the noodle mixture into four bowls, dividing it evenly, then heap the squash to one side. Lay a five-minute egg on top of each noodle pile. Sprinkle with green onions and togarashi. Just before serving, cut a slit in the side of each egg to let the yolk flow.
To drink: chilled sake
Egg tip: The eggs can be cooked in the pot of boiling water before the noodles.