cold soba noodles with eggplant and mango
red onion, basil, cilantro
garlic chile lime dressing, peanut and lime garnish
This is Chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s dish. He says, “It is the refreshing nature of the cold buckwheat noodles, the sweet sharpness of the dressing and the muskiness of the mango that make it so pleasing.” Hard to argue with that.
I made a few minor changes, including grilling the eggplant instead of frying in sunflower oil. And I added peanuts. The photo of this dish in his book Plenty looks like a mess, a delicious mess. Initially I plated it in the Taste With The Eyes style, but it looked too fussy, so I dumped the whole lot onto another platter, to mess it up, just like Ottolenghi. Not only did I think the noodle dish was spectacular, but I learned a lesson in plating too. Sometimes disheveled is better.
cold soba noodles with eggplant and mango recipe
soba noodles
Cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Shake off excess water. Toss with toasted sesame oil and chill until ready to compose the dish.
grilled eggplant
Rub sliced eggplant with kosher salt and let sweat on paper towels for an hour, turning once, to remove much of the moisture. Then rinse off the salt, pat dry, and brush with olive oil. Grill over medium high heat. Make sure to slice the eggplant in generous portions so it doesn’t shrivel up on the grill.
- 1/2 c. rice vinegar
- 3 T. sugar
- 1/2 t. salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño (or red chile), finely chopped
- 1 t. toasted sesame oil
- grated zest and juice from 1 lime
In a small saucepan, warm vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, add garlic, chile, sesame oil. Allow to cool then add lime zest and juice.
Toss the noodles with the dressing, diced eggplant, sliced mango, thin-sliced red onion, chiffonade of basil, and rough chopped cilantro.
Dump the noodle mixture onto a platter.
Garnish with more basil and cilantro. Finish with chopped peanuts and some lime wedges.
celebrating eggplant
celebrating chef ottolenghi
links to my other recipes inspired by ottolenghi
Peas & Pasta ~ pea sprouts, basil, feta, garlicky yogurt sauce, smoky chile walnuts
Roasted Japanese Eggplant ~ fresh thyme, garlicky yogurt cream sauce, pomegranate & pistachio
Elegant Braised Leeks ~ feta, almond, raisin, mint
Spiced Roasted Cauliflower ~ walnut, cilantro, mint, kaffir lime, pink peppercorn
Rigatoni, Roasted Oyster Mushrooms ~ arugula, smoky chile walnuts, garlicky yogurt, feta
Thyme & Mint Roasted Eggplant ~ arugula, spinach, tomato, garlicky yogurt sauce
Griddled Chicken Breast, Saffron Tangelo Syrup ~ fennel , cilantro, basil, mint with lime vinaigrette
summerfest
Summer Fest is a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with bloggers to share recipes about everyone’s favorite summertime fruits and vegetables. Be sure to check out the Pinterest Board with over 90,000 followers called Let’s Pull Up A Chair! And if this cold soba noodles with eggplant and mango got you longing for some lovely summer eggplant, you might enjoy taking a peek at other aubergine dishes from some fabulous bloggers below…
Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Eggplant with Sumac, Capers and Mint
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Eggplant Pepper Mushroom Turkey Sausage Hash
Chez Us: Baba Ghanoush
Taste With The Eyes: Cold Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Eggplant Fritter Burgers with Sriracha Chili Mayo
Red or Green: Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta with Spicy Carrot Top/Basil Pesto
Weelicious: Eggplant Parmesan Sticks
Devour: 5 Takes on Grilled Eggplant
The Sensitive Epicure: Szechwan Eggplant
Domesticate Me: Grilled Eggplant with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil Vinaigrette
And Love It Too: Roasted Garlic Baba Ganouj
FN Dish: Eggplant, No Forks Necessary
Yummy photos. I bet this is absolutely delish!
This is gorgeous! We can never get enough of grilled eggplant. Thanks for sharing – go SummerFest!
your photographs are beautiful! and this dish sounds amazing.
You are too good with your camera. The recipe is good but your pictures just take it to another level.
Even if one did not like the ingredients this dish would be impossible to pass because of the brilliant photography! Well, I happen to like the ingredients 🙂 !!!
It’s beautifully disheveled! I’ve been meaning to try this. I definitely will while eggplant is in season. Thanks for the inspiration!
I thought this recipe looked familiar, we really like Chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes. This is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Great flavors!
Hi Denise – Yeah, we love Ottolenghi! His vegetable combinations are brilliant! Thanks for your comment and tweet!
Are you posting avocado tomorrow??
LL
Oh this is a winner, Lori! I loveeee soba noodles and you took it to whole another level using grilled eggplant and mango kick! Beautiful pictures and so very delicious…I am definitely hungry now!
Lori Lynn you always have the most beautiful photographs, but I think you outdid yourself with these. They are breathtaking! I wish I have a mango and some soba noodles, because I was planning on grilling eggplant tonight. However, that dressing looks like a perfect dressing for the salad I had in mind. Great recipe and post!
What a beautiful combination! I love all the elements, so I am sure I’d enjoy every mouthful of this dish.
Hi Lori,
I made this on Sunday night and it was superb. Mangoes are just coming into season here in Australia so the one I used had a lovely tart/sweet flavour that worked beautifully with the other flavours. The family gave it a 2thumbsup rating (even the fussy teenage boy) so I posted a link to your recipe on my micro blog and my healthy eating followers have also raved about it so thank you and please keep them coming as my family & I LOVE your recipes.
Have a great weekend,
Anna
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Would make a perfect meal with spring rolls and maybe a light soup. Definitely going to make again.
Hi Lulu – thanks for taking the time to let me know. So glad it was a success. Spring rolls sound like a perfect accompaniment.
LL