Cook with kelp: Vegan Soba Noodle Salad
Refreshing! A heat wave-tested vegan salad with soba noodles, kombu (or kelp), veggies and tofu. So worth the prep/wait time!
Dear Climate Culinarians,
Over here on the East Coast, I woke up to cooler temperatures this morning. It’s the end of a heat wave! And the end of this newsletter series about kelp. Which means: I have a free meal recipe for you, and it’s meant for everyone to cool down.
New here? Every month, Climate Culinarians picks one topic and publishes a series of newsletters about it, ending with a recipe (see the weekly structure here). This month was all about seaweed. Subscribe to never miss a new post!
Soba Noodle Salad with Kelp
When you’re a vegetarian, the term “salad” becomes a double-edged sword. Because a salad can be a bunch of greens with vinaigrette, and that’s awesome, but if it’s the only thing on the menu … let’s just say lettuce leaves are not very filling. A salad can also be a bowl of joy that fulfills your nutritional needs. My recipe falls into the latter category (well, in terms of joy, I hope it does!).
I believe a shared meal is the best opportunity to talk about climate solutions. And about the ocean and seaweed, of course. So I hope you’ll enjoy this sea-salty meal in good company.
If this is your first time using dried seaweed: Don’t try to wash or scrape away the dry, almost crystal-like white stuff on your dried seaweed. This is from the part of the algae that provides its umami flavor, you want to include it in this dish. Some of it simply wanders to the outside when kelp is dried. Oh, and if you’re a scientist shaking your head at my clumsy explanation, please drop a comment and explain this process properly!
Feeds 4 people
Ingredients:
For the tofu
1 block extra-firm tofu
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or chili powder)
2 Tbsp high-heat oil (e.g. avocado oil)
For the salad
1 strip of dried kombu or kelp, about 3x5 inches
2 bundles of soba noodles (6oz / 170g)
A scant cup of peas (fresh or frozen)
1/2 bunch of scallions
1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
For the dressing
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (reduced salt if you prefer)
1 lime
1/2 to 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons honey
2 Tbsp sesame oil
Make it:
Drain tofu. Cut from the long, narrow side into 3 wide slabs. Now press it: Place tofu on a clean towel and fold the rest of the towel over the tofu. Put it on a cutting board or baking sheet, cover with another baking sheet or cutting board and place heavy items on top (a bunch of cans or a heavy pan work well). Let sit for 30 min.
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Grate ginger into a small bowl. Juice lime. Add to bowl, together with honey and tamari or soy sauce. Stir well. Then add sesame oil and stir well. Set aside.
Break dried kombu or kelp into strips, roughly half an inch wide. Use scissors if necessary. Most dried kelp bits break easily along the direction the seaweed had been growing - no clean cuts required! Then cut or break these strips into small squares of about half an inch. Again, no even, razor sharp cuts necessary. Place your kombu/kelp pieces into a small bowl, cover with water. Let sit for about 10 min. If you are using sugar kelp from the East Coast, it might take a little longer than Kombu from the Pacific. You want to see the seaweed become fleshy.
Meanwhile, dice bell pepper and slice scallions. Put into a large salad bowl. Chop cilantro leaves.
Get back to your tofu: Remove your pressing equipment. Cut tofu into cubes. In a medium bowl, stir the seasoning (salt, smoked paprika, pepper), add tofu cubes and combine. Then you either fry it or bake it. Heat oil in a pan an fry tofu on high heat until it gets golden at the edges, about 5 min. Stir so the other sides get fried, too for another 3 min. Set aside to cool. For baking: Mix oil with your seasoned tofu, then spread on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 min.
While the tofu is baking or frying (or, if multitasking stresses you out: after it’s finished), fill a medium pot halfway with water and salt and bring to a boil. Drain your soaked kelp. Add soba noodles, kelp and peas to boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes (fish out a soba noodle and test if it’s al dente). There may be foam, that’s normal.
Drain the noodle-mix into a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain. Add to the salad bowl, along with the tofu. Stir through your prepared dressing once again, then pour over the salad. Add cilantro and mix well.
You can eat it right away (like your impatient author did). Chill salad for a hour if you like it really cold.
**You may have noticed that Climate Culinarians is a free newsletter. If you want to support it (and me), click on the little heart and like it. Or share it. Or leave a comment. All of this will make Substack show this newsletter to more people. And people like you are the reason I’m writing here!**
This is the last part about of this month’s series about kelp. If you missed the other episodes, follow these links:
Kelp: The seaweed that heals more than the ocean - Meet an oyster farmer and a marine scientist who care
Kelp: Food, fertilizer … carbon storage fantasy? - How kelp would fare as a climate solution
Kelp: 3 books for the seaweed-curious - Reading recs! With fishermen’s tales and vegan seafood
And what’s coming up next Thursday? It’s going to be July by then, and that means I’m going to start with a new theme. And this time, it will be a buzz theme because …. nope, you’ll have to wait and see.
Eat, read, repeat!
Petrina
Climate Culinarians is a project by me, Petrina Engelke. I write about climate and food, and I help other writers turn their ideas into a book people want to read. In other words: I’m a journalist and a book coach. Read more about this newsletter & me here.