COCONUT CURRY NOODLE SALAD WITH CORIANDER PEANUT PESTO
This noodle salad is perfect for lunch as a warm or cold salad. It can all be prepped the day before hand, makes heaps and the flavour just continues to develop as it sits together. A boiled egg would be an excellent addition to this salad if you;re worried about staying full without having meat in your lunch.
You do not have to cook the mushrooms if you prefer them raw. I do think that steaming them whole like this gives them just the right amount of tenderness that they soak up the flavours of the dressing and pesto but aren’t too slippery.
The pesto makes more than you need, but you can also use it on this salad or on any grilled meat you like. It’s even good on avocado toast.
Ingredients
250g soba buckwheat noodles
2 carrots, spriralized
2 zucchini, spiralized
button mushrooms
sweet capsicums (I used a medley of the small ones in yellow, red and orange but any would work)
1/4 cup spring onion
1/ cup coriander leaves
DRESSING:
1/2 cup coconut cream
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 heaped tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 green chilli
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped spring onion
CORIANDER AND PEANUT PESTO:
2 cups coriander leaves, firmly packed (this should be 1 large bunch of coriander, leaves, stalks and a couple of the well washed roots. )
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil (a lightly flavoured one will be best)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp black vinegar or rice wine vinegar could work
juice and zest of one lime
1 spring onion, roughly chopped
1/2 a hot red chilli (or a whole mild one)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
1.Cook noodles according to packet directions, rinse under cold water. Combine these with the spiralised carrot and zucchini, toss until well combined.
2.Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until well combined. Pour over the noodles and mix well until the dressing is evenly dispersed among the noodles.
3.Steam the mushrooms whole for 3 minutes, or until just tender. Use a paper towel of clean tea towel to dry them, removing any residual dirt. Then slice thinly.
4.Very finely slice the capsicum, combine this and the mushrooms with the noodles and mix together until evenly dispersed.
5.Pesto: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, process until well combined and starting to look slightly creamy.
6.Serve with the coriander pesto drizzled over the salad and the spring onion and coriander leaves sprinkled over top.