Since I love Asian food, especially Thai food, I am quite excited to share some of my favorite Asian fusion dishes that I like to cook at home. The kicker: they all use Weshop ingredients.

Now, I love salad, but it can’t be just a green salad. Below is a recipe for a cold salad with Soba buckwheat noodle, which is originally from Japan, as the main ingredient. This dish is similar to the seaweed salad that is served in Japanese restaurants, the Rama salad that you would find at Typhoon, or Ahi Poke (Hawaiian Tuna Salad). It is an effortless dish that explodes with complex flavors of fresh ginger and toasty sesame oil.

Ingredients

1 pack Soba buckwheat noodle (about 8 oz)

½ medium-size red or green bell peppers, julienned and diced (also see below for other varieties)

½ cucumber, thinly sliced or shredded

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon scallion or cilantro, or both, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar (optional)

1 teaspoon chili flake, jalapeno, or serrano, chopped finely (optional)

A pinch sesame seed (optional)

Makes 4 Servings.

Instructions:

1) To cook buckwheat noodles, it is best to follow the instructions on the back of the package. Bring water to boil then add the noodles. Uncover the pot and allow the noodles to simmer in low heat for five to eight minutes. Stir occasionally. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2) Chop your vegetables while you wait for the noodles to cook. In a large salad bowl, whisk together ginger, scallions, cilantro, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili flakes, and sesame oil. Add cucumbers and bell peppers.

3) Thoroughly combine the noodle and the dressing. Sprinkle some sesame seeds before serving.

Tips: Always simmer Soba noodles on low heat after you bring the water to boil. Slow cooking Soba noodles gives them a tender and firm texture. If you cook the Soba noodles in boiling water in the same way you prepare pasta, your soba will be overcooked, sticky, and taste starchy (I made this mistake twice because I didn’t read the instructions!).

For variety, feel free to replace cucumber and bell peppers with your choice of vegetables such as sprouts and carrots. You can also grill (use the “broil” mode in your oven) vegetables such as eggplant, asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, and Portobello mushrooms.