Edamame, broccolini, avocado and soba noddle bowl with vegan sesame mayo
An easy and delicious Japanese- style salad with a rich tangy sesame dressing, crunchy edamame and creamy avocado.
I have to give the Japanese brand Kewpie some serious credit for providing the inspiration for this recipe. I was lucky enough to stumble across their roasted sesame mayo a while back and became rather addicted. I am sure most of you are familiar with the Kewpie mayo, an essential ingredient for many hand rolls and other Japanese cooking. Interesting fact (well interesting to me!), the mayo is so popular that 10% of all eggs produced in Japan are used to make Kewpie mayo. There you go, fascinating!
I set out to make a version that everyone could enjoy, not only vegans, but also people avoiding raw eggs. It took a bit of trial and error but I got there. I found--to my surprise-- that it was the addition of American style mustard that really made this all come together. I wouldn’t have thought it would work with the other Japanese flavours in the recipe but it makes it taste like a proper mayo. I also tried making it with aquafaba and it tasted great, but I found it strangely lost its flavor after being stored in the fridge. Plus, aquafaba is not suitable for those on a FODMAP diet. I tried it with rice milk but it didn’t emulsify as well as soy. Soymilk turned out to be the way to go.
Once you have the dressing made, this salad is so quick and easy to make. I love how it manages to feel light and healthy at the same time as rich and filling. The dressing is also super versatile. For a simple family dinner we have it with fried tofu or with some steamed rice and chopped greens and nuts. My partner Che even eats it on his eggs for breakfast, which sounds rather weird to me, but he swears by it! I think if you give this recipe a go, you too will be finding creative ways to put it on everything!
Edamame, broccolini, avocado and soba noddle bowl with vegan sesame mayo
Preparation time: 1 hour
Serves: 3-4
Dietary guidelines: This recipe is vegan and gluten free. A FODMAP friendly variation is provided.
Ingredients for the salad
1 firm but ripe avocado
1 cup of shelled edamame
1 small cucumber
2 bunches of broccolini
150g approximately of soba noodles or another noodle of your choice
2 tablespoons of toasted white and or black sesame
2 chopped spring onions
1 small bunch of coriander washed and dried
1 ½ cups of baby spinach
A squeeze of lime
Ingredients for the vegan sesame mayo
2 tablespoons of soymilk
2 teaspoons of mild mustard (I use American style)
3 teaspoons of maple syrup
2 ½ teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of low salt soy sauce (use tamari if GF)
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
150ml of mild tasting oil such as canola
2 ½ teaspoons of white sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon of salt
Method
For the sesame mayo: First prepare the sesame seeds. As you also need toasted sesame for the salad, I suggest toasting the 2 tablespoons needed for the salad at the same time as for the mayo. Toast the seeds in a pan, stirring frequently, over medium low heat until they go golden brown. Scrape the seeds out into a mortar and pestle and grind them until its starts to looks like a slightly chunky almond meal. Be careful not to over pound it and turn it into a paste. Place the soymilk, mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and soy sauce in a small blender. Alternatively, use a tall container and a bar mixer. Whizz for a few minutes to emulsify and then start to very slowly pour both types of oil in. If you do this step too fast the mayo may not emulsify. Once you’ve added all the oil, the mix should look like mayonnaise; all creamy and yummy looking. Add the crushed sesame seeds and pulse to combine. Taste the mix and adjust for seasoning. If you find it too sour add some more maple syrup. Once you are happy, store it in the fridge until ready to use.
For the broccolini: Pre-heat a large frying pan on a high heat. Either keep the broccolini whole or cut it into smaller pieces if you prefer – easier to eat but doesn’t look as nice! When the pan is hot, pour about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the pan and fry batches of the broccolini one at a time. Season them well and make sure not to crowd the pan. Let the broccolini sit for a couple of minutes before you stir or flip them over. This is important as you get a really nice charred flavor and crispy texture. If you turn them too quickly you will end up with stir-fried broccoli, which is not our aim! Cook them for another few minutes, remove and set aside to cool. Wipe down the pan and repeat this process until all the broccolini is cooked.
For the noodles: Cook the noodles per the packet direction and cool. If using soba or another starchy noddle, rinse them under cold water to make sure they don’t stick together. I usually toss the noodles with a squeeze of lime and little extra sesame or vegetable oil just to make sure they don’t clump.
For the salad: Boil a small saucepan with water and add the edamade. Cook for five minutes, drain and let cool. Chop the cucumber and avocado into bite size pieces. Now, one serving option is to layer the ingredients in each bowl like I have in the photo and serve the sesame mayo on the side. Alternatively, you could mix them together. To do this, add the noodles, spinach, cucumber, cooled broccolini, half the sesame seeds, spring onion, edamame and coriander to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with enough mayo for your liking and toss. Serve into individual bowls or one large platter. Top with the chopped avocado and sprinkle over the rest of the sesame seeds. Enjoy!
FODMAP friendly variation: There are a few ingredients in this salad that can be irritable to some people. I have kept the amounts within the recommended amount for a FODMAP diet but if you are particularly sensitive to an ingredient consider modifying it. For example 1/3 of an avocado contains a sorbitol - if you don't tolerate sorbitol well leave it out. Broccolini contains a small amount of fructose, again it should be tolerated in the amount served here but if you are concerned consider replacing it with broccoli heads which are lower in fructose.
