Coriander and Lime Noodle Salad

Dining al desko in the office is often not as fun as it should be. It’s either a tired and limp sandwich or else it’s scalding hot leftovers in the microwave. I’m always trying to figure out ideas for work lunches that are simple, tasty and don’t require a trip to the microwave. This simple noodle salad is a quick and tasty dish that fits the bill and can be eaten straight from your lunch box. The coriander, ginger and lime dressing is really delicious with the soba noodles and wok fried vegetables. It’s an easy dish to put together and also works as a great light lunch. I like to serve this salad with some roasted peanuts and chopped spring onions for some added crunch. It’s a healthy, tasty, and colorful dish that is guaranteed to brighten up a dreary day in the office.

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander
• 1 heaped tablespoon of maple syrup

Noodle Salad

• ½ tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced into thin strips
• ½ a red pepper, chopped into thin strips
• ½ a yellow pepper, chopped into thin strips
• ½ an orange pepper chopped into thin strips
• 25g of sugar snap peas, chopped into thin strips
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into thin strips (I use the vegetable peeler for this)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 100g of uncooked Soba noodles

Garnish

• 2 spring onions, chopped into small discs
• some chopped peanuts

Method

1. For the dressing, put all the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor and blitz until it becomes a smooth and silky sauce.
2. For the salad, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.
3. Then add the peppers and cook until they are cooked but still have a little bite.
4. Finally add the sugar snap peas and carrots. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Take off the heat.
5. Cook the noodles in boiling water,  as per the packet instructions.
6. Once the noodles are cooked, strain them in cold water.
7. Add the cooked vegetables to the noodles and half of the dressing.
8. Toss together and then serve with freshly chopped spring onions, peanuts and some fresh coriander.