Looking for a fun side with an Asian flare?

Maybe you have some extra miso lying around and need to use it up.

Or maybe you have extra soba noodles looking for an interesting use.

Or maybe you're just hungry and need a quick meal.

Either way, this is a great option. Plus the flavors go well with a ton of different main courses which makes this extra versatile. I personally made it to pair with the following menu:

• Salmon skewers with togarashi as an easy appetizer
• Asian pork meatballs
• Grilled chicken with char siu sauce
• Cucumber and green bean salad
• Cold soba salad with miso dressing

Everything turned out great... well, I wasn't in love with the salmon skewers, but let's leave those as a work in progress. They didn't make or break the meal. However, everything else had very nice flavors and was surprisingly easy to put together. 

As a side note, if you're thinking about serving this, please know that it feels very summery - so you might want to wait for a nice warm day where you can grill some fish by the pool and serve this as a light, refreshing side.

Let us begin.

For once, I will say that an apron is optional. Obviously I wore one, but it's not particularly saucy, doesn't involve flour, and there isn't really a risk of splatter. So it's up to you.

First, boil some water and cook the soba noodles. Two packs were 1/2 lb and perfect for 4 guests.

It's important to make them al dente, so you'll probably want to check a few minutes before they package says they are supposed to be done. No one wants mushy noodles.

When the noodles have cooked, rinse them under cold water and set aside.

While the noodles cook, add the miso, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, oil and pepper together in a bowl and mix well. Mine came together super easily.

In order to prep the veggies ,peel the carrots and shred with a coarse shredder. Wash the radishes and slice very thinly on a mandoline. Finally, clean the scallions and cut on a bias so they look extra fancy.

Toss together in a bowl and add the sauce and noodles.

Tongs were my friend to really mix everything up.

Once everything else came together, I loaded up a plate and got to work eating.

Enjoy!

Cold Soba Salad with Miso Dressing

By Michael Romano & Karen Stabiner
Published 04/2013

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons white miso paste
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Freshly ground pepper

Salad

• 1/2 lb soda noodles
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
• 4-5 radishes, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Bring water to boil in a medium/large saucepan and cook noodles according to package directions. Once cooked al dente, rinse under cold water and set aside.
2. While noodles are cooking, combine all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl and mix together.
3. Add noodles, vegetables and dressing to a large bowl and gently toss.
4. Serve at room temperature.