Chilled soba with pickled cucumber, sesame and soy

While the nights have cooled off dramatically these past few weeks, the days are still hot and sticky. We’re coming to the end of most of our summer crops, eating the final few cucumbers, digging up our main potato crop, leaving beans on the plant to dry for seed, pickling all the chillies and willing the remaining tomatoes to ripen, before it’s too late.

I’m not going to lie, with everything going on in the world right now I’ve totally lost my appetite. Simple, light meals have been a life-saver and this chilled noodle dish couldn’t be any easier to make. Serve with grilled tofu or a fried egg to turn into a complete meal.

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Chilled soba with pickled cucumber, sesame and soy

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour, but most brands also contain a little wheat flour. If you are gluten-free, try searching for gluten-free soba at selected health food stores, or use rice noodles instead. You’ll find black vinegar and Korean chilli flakes at Asian supermarkets, if you’re gluten-free opt for balsamic or rice vinegar instead of black. Regular chilli flakes can be used, but I adore the bright chilli flavour and mild heat of Korean chilli flakes.

Servings 4 small bowls

Ingredients

Pickled cucumber

• 1 telegraph (continental) cucumber
• 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Noodles

• 250g pkt soba noodles gluten-free, if needed
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce gluten-free, if needed
• 3 tablespoons black vinegar or rice/balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Korean chilli flakes and toasted sesame seeds to serve

Instructions

• Cut the cucumber into thin matchsticks. Combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a shallow bowl, stir well to combine. Add cucumber, and toss well to coat. Set aside for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally (alternatively, you can pop it into a lidded container in the fridge and leave for up to three days).
• Cook soba following the packet instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. At this stage you can transfer noodles to the fridge to chill until ready to use, or go right ahead and serve.

  Combine soy sauce, black/rice vinegar and sesame oil in a small bowl and stir well.
• To serve, divide soba noodles and drained pickled cucumber between bowls, drizzle with soy dressing, sprinkle over a little chilli flakes and toasted sesame seeds.