In this fresh take on a stir-fry we combine nutritious soba (buckwheat noodles) and dark gai-lan greens in a light and fresh dressing, for a quick and light, yet satisfying meal.
Soba noodles are made out of buckwheat, which actually is not related to wheat at all, this is good news for those with gluten-intolerance. When purchasing these noodles pay special attention to the ingredient list, as some brands combine both buckwheat and wheat flour, and the preference goes to noodles solely buckwheat flour so look for pure buckwheat in the ingredients list. Eden Foods makes 100% buckwheat noodles. One hundred grams of buckwheat provides 10 grams of fibre, which are prebiotic fibres that can aid gut health (1). Buckwheat also provides about 13 grams of protein per 100 gram serving.
Gai Lan, or Chinese broccoli is a dark green leafy vegetable with a flavour similar but more intense than broccoli. This vegetable is extremely easy to prepare, and does well in this recipe as it carries the flavour from the dressing, provides crunchy texture, and colour, as well as vitamins A, C and K, iron and calcium.
Pairing vitamin-rich greens with mineral-rich noodles helps to produce a well-rounded meal. Additionally, you could add grilled chicken, tofu, or tempeh as a useful way to repurpose leftovers or other bits you have left in the fridge. The simple but citrus-forward tahini dressing boosts the calcium content, but also balances the slightly bitter gai lan.
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
* 1 package (roughly 364 grams) soba noodles
* 4 cups gai lan (sliced in halves down the centre of the stalk)
* 2 cups bean sprouts
Dressing:
* 3 tbsp. Tahini
* Juice of one large orange
* Juice of ½ lemon
* 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
* I tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp. sesame oil
* Salt
* Pepper
* ½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
Sesame seeds, basil leaves and red chili flakes for garnish
Directions:
Dressing:
1. Add tahini, orange juice, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to a blender and blitz for a couple seconds until combined.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large pot, bring water to boil (enough to cover the noodles completely)
2. Strain out noodles and rinse in cold water immediately, drain well.
3. In a non-stick pan, sauté the gai lan just until tender and bright green (about 2 minutes on medium-high heat)
4. Set aside cooked ingredients until they are cooled
5. Put all cooked ingredients in a large bowl, add dressing and mix gently until evenly coated
~ At this point, if you would like to add your protein, you can decide whether to mix into the dressing or not ~
6. Plate and top each serving with a handful of bean sprouts, garnish using sesame seeds, basil and/or red chilli flakes.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 495, Protein: 18.5, Carbohydrates: 79, Fat: 11, Fiber: 7
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