This is the second time I’ve made this salad. It is one of my favorites and it is really easy. I needed an easy one this week since our kitchen is officially in remodel mode (I can’t wait to have a dishwasher). I’m cooking in the dining room on a hot plate and washing dishes in the bathroom.
Hopefully you can find the shiso leaves. It adds a nice flavor, a bit like spearmint (it is in fact part of the mint family). I can always find it a Nijiya market, although this time it was kind of wilted already.
With our new schedule, we have 3 salads per week. It will be hard for me to keep up, but hopefully I can do it. I’m actually already 2 behind from last week. I’ve never tried adding the garlic or ginger, but can see these both working well.
I found the dressing recipe on the Japanese Food Report.
Ingredients
makes 4 servings
- 2 lbs roma tomatoes (diced) or cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 2 medium cucumbers or 5-6 small persian cucumbers (diced)
- 1 pkg arugula
- 6 shiso leaves (finely sliced)
- soba noodles (1 package, 3 sleeves), cooked and chilled
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons ground sesame seeds (used spice/coffee bean grinder or mortar & pestle)
- optional: garlic (1 clove finely chopped), or grated ginger (1 teaspoon)
Toss tomatoes and cucumbers with dressing. Serve on top of a bed of arugula. Garnish with shiso.
Serve soba on side, topped with some more dressing.
