Grilled corn, cucumber & peanut soba salad with crispy tofu and a creamy chilli, lime & tahini dressing. Jump to recipe.
There are a number of recipes on high rotation which I continue to make variations of, based on the season and *mostly* the contents of my fridge. This is one. The formula goes: soba noodles, lots of herbs and veg, some riff on a usually lime and tahini based dressing, protein source (gooey egg, peanut tofu, miso salmon etc etc), crunchy bits (crispy shallots, chopped nuts and seeds, spring onion). Despite the fact that the instagram algorithm would have you think we are all sugar fiends and only a elaborate cake or a cookie (melted pool of dark chocolate and flaky sea salt for maximum impact) is worth the anyone’s time/eyes, it’s actually these weeknight recipes that far more of you actually cook. I guess dinner is a (somewhat) compulsory meal of the day, whereas cakes are a fun bonus (no less important or necessary though). Although I love making new recipes, 90% of the time currently I can’t face the mental energy associated with trying anything other than what I know will take me no more than half an hour, is guaranteed to turn out well and will give me work leftovers to look forward to – so here we are.
It’s also my final recipe in collaboration with Prahran Market, and inspired by the late summer stacks of local sweetcorn and bunches of fresh herbs currently available. Helpfully, the market also is home to a number of specialty food stores which means you can pretty much buy every single ingredient you might possible need – from the chilli oil, tahini and soba noodles used in this recipe to the black limes and preserved lemons I’ve been using for our Ottolenghi dinner nights.
The easiest way I’ve found to make the smoky grilled sweetcorn is directly over a gas element (if you have one) or on a barbecue. While you occasionally rotate the cobs over the flame (don’t worry if it pops and spits madly), make the chilli lime dressing and pour a 1/3 or so over the cucumber batons for maximum flavour. Peanuts go in the oven to toast, as does the crispy salt and pepper baked tofu. Toss together the cold soba with spiced thai basil and coriander, finely chopped peanuts and the remaining dressing (with a little tahini added for creaminess) and top with crisp cucumber, grilled corn, lots of tofu and extra chilli oil, depending on much heat you can tolerate.
*Side note – crispy tofu is very delicious right from the oven, and slightly less delicious and definitely not crispy on subsequent days. I don’t mind it, but you might also prefer this peanut tofu if you’re making it for a few meals. If you want to read everything you might want to know about oven baked crispy tofu, I would direct you to this blog post by my friend Georgia (who also has innumerable other veg recipes you should check out).
- 3 cobs of corn
- 2-3 lebanese cucumber
- Large handful Thai or regular basil torn
- 1/2 bunch of coriander finely sliced
- 1/3 cup peanuts toasted and finely chopped
- 200-300 g soba noodles
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 red chilli finely chopped ± seeds depending on how spicy your chilli is
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- Zest and juice of a large lime
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Chilli oil to serve
- 300 g extra firm tofu
- salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
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Preheat the oven to 200°C. Drain the tofu, wrap in paper towels and press underneath something heavy (like a mortar and pestle or a pot with cans in it) to get as much liquid out as possible. You can skip this, just accept that the end result won’t be quite so crispy.
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Shuck the corn and grill directly on the flames of a gas element or a barbecue, turning occassionally, until charred in spots and mostly cooked through.
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Toast the peanuts for 10 minutes in the oven or until golden.
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Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small pot, heat the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the finely chopped chilli, garlic, lime zest and juice and sesame oil.
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Slice the cucumbers into matchsticks (as in photo). Spoon 3 tablespoons of dressing over the top, toss to coat and set aside.
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Cut the tofu into cubes, season well with salt and pepper, stir through 2 teaspoons sesame oil and toss through the cornstarch to evenly coat. Spread out on a baking paper lined tray and bake for 20 -30 minutes until golden and crisp on the outside.
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Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the soba noodles according to instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool.
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Cut the corn from the cobs.
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Stir the 2 tablespoons of tahini into the remaining dressing.
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Toss the cold noodles with the herbs, finely chopped peanuts and the tahini dressing. Add the cucumber and corn now if desired or serve separately for DIY bowls.
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Serve with crispy tofu, extra chilli oil. You can also add avocado and soft boiled eggs if desired
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