On a rainy, grey autumn day this salad made me cheer up. It has so much flavour and beautiful green colours. It is a bit chewy because of the noodles and crunchy of the raw vegetables and herbs. I think it is a great combination.

You can substitute the French beans with aubergine or cauliflower. The Thai dressing is zingy and fresh. This salad packs loads of flavour in one simple dish!

Recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Veg Every Day.

Herby French Bean Noodle Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the noodle salad
– 200 g soba noodles (you can use udon or rice noodles)
– 150 g French beans, ends trimmed
– 1/2 long cucumber, thinly sliced
– 4 spring onions, sliced
– 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
– a small bunch of coriander, chopped
– salt

For the dressing
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
– 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or a small red chilli, finely chopped
– 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon cane sugar
– 1 teaspoon soy sauce
– 1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Method

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl mix together all the dressing’s ingredients and toss it with the cooked noodles until well coated. Set aside.

In a pan cook the beans of lightly salted boiling water until just tender and a bit crunchy (4-6 minutes). Drain well. Toss the noodles with the spring onions, cucumber, beans and herbs.

Serve and enjoy!