Refreshing and long-lasting, this noodle salad is perfect for a picnic or summer meal-planning. Equal parts slaw and starch, it’s even tastier the next day. You massage thinly sliced cabbage with salt so it slackens, then toss it with nutty soba and a toasty sauce made of tahini, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. The salad’s real treat, however, is fried almonds—they’re crunchy and rich, and the oil they fry in forms the foundation of the dressing. Starting the nuts in cold oil rather than hot means they’ll cook slowly and evenly and reduces the risk of burning. Top this with seared tofu planks for a protein boost. Salad can be refrigerated for up to three days. 

Recipe reprinted with permission from Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking by Joe Yonan, copyright ©2024. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.  

Makes 4 servings

  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 small head green cabbage (11/2 pounds), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces soba noodles
  • 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup sunflower or another neutral oil
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, preferably unseasoned
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the cabbage with ½ teaspoon salt. Use your hands to aggressively massage it until it slackens, softens, shrinks, and starts to look shiny and wet, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the scallions and toss to combine.

3. Add the soba to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain well, rinse under cold water, using your hand to agitate the noodles, then drain well again. Toss with 2 teaspoons of the toasted sesame oil (to prevent the noodles from clumping).

4. In a medium skillet, combine the almonds and sunflower oil. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts start to foam and turn golden-brown, 6 to 9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried almonds to the bowl of cabbage.

5. Pour the oil remaining in the skillet into a small bowl or heatproof glass measuring cup. Add the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, water, and remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Whisk to combine. Taste and season with salt as needed. Remember that the dressing should be assertive, as it’s going to dress a lot of noodles and cabbage.

Author Joe Yonan and his latest cookbook, Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking

6. Add the soba and dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss to thoroughly combine. Taste and season with more salt as needed. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.

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