Loophole Yoshoku prawn noodle salad

I made an informal resolution this year to NOT buy any more cookbooks than was absolutely necessary. There are a couple of ‘loopholes’ in this statement and it all comes down to definitions. What is an informal resolution? What year are we talking about (calendar year, financial year, druids’ lunar phase)? How do you define ‘absolutely necessary’ – a cooking emergency can occur at any time, and there are many, many times when a cookbook purchase has been a veritable lifesaver, your Honour.

So I see this book, ’Yoshoku, Contemporary Japanese’ by Jane Lawson, at the book store. Further investigation reveals that Yoshoku is where Western cuisine is adapted in a way to make it Japanese. The book is full of beautifully styled settings (always a gold star in my opinion) and intriguing dishes like corn potage and potato salad, but with a Japanese twist. I also noticed that the book was first published in 2005 although the publishers have plonked a new cover on this edition.

After a couple of days of reassessing my resolution-setting methodology and finding it lacking, I order the book online and it arrives 2 weeks later (I know, it would have been quicker to just buy it locally, but I’m scrimping). While the book is great to browse, I’ve found that there aren’t that many recipes I actually want to make. I settled on this chilled prawn and cucumber noodle salad, and it turned out lovely – easy to make, and some of it can be prepared ahead of time. It also sent me on a mission to stock up on ingredients like wakame and seven-spice pepper, so it looks like I’ll be cooking more Yoshoku dishes soon.

Resolution: ‘I informally resolve to cook another dish from Yoshoku before the end of the year’.
Please be my witness!


Chilled prawn and cucumber noodle salad
Serves 2

Ingredients
200g cooked medium prawns, peeled and deveined
1 Lebanese cucumber
1 tblsp dried wakame (seaweed) pieces
100g soba noodles
Seven-spice mix, to serve [seven-spice mix is a combination of togarashi red chilli pepper and other ingredients like sesame seeds, nori or mustard]

Dressing
½ tsp dashi granules
1/3 cup Japanese rice vinegar
¼ cup mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil

Method
1. For the cucumber: Halve the cucumber lengthways, scoop out the seeds, then use a vegetable peeler to cut into long, thin strips. Put into a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chill in the refrigerator.

2. For the wakame: Soak the wakame pieces in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. It should be rehydrated and glossy, but not mushy. Drain and refrigerate.

3. For the dressing: Mix the dashi granules with 1 tablespoon of hot water and stir until dissolved. Add the rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and sesame oil, then mix until combined. Chill.

4. For the noodles: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then add the soba noodles. Boil on medium heat for 4 minutes, then drain and rinse well with cold water. Drain again.

5. To serve: Combine the noodles, prawns, cucumber and wakame and toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with seven-spice mix before serving.

Recipe adapted from Yoshoku by Jane Lawson

Tabitha cat models the new cover of Yoshoku

Ingredients, including dried wakame, rice wine vinegar, mirin, dashi granules and 7-spice pepper.
The teacups are not used for anything- I thought they looked cute!

The various stages of wakame seaweed reconstitution, from dried black bits to chewy green seaweedy bits.

Gratuitous shot of uncooked soba noodles with f2.8 depth of field.

A beautifully light salad that is so easy to prepare.

The seven-spice adds a little heat to the dish and also provides a flash of fluoro orange colour!