Soba Noodle Salad with Prawns

Serves: 2

Ingredients
1/2 lb (250g-300g) dry soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)
150g, 1/3 lb cooked prawns (may be substituted with tinned crab)
1 cucumber
1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tbsp very thinly sliced ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (toast in a dry frying pan or on a lined sheet tray in the oven for 5-8 minutes until browned but not burned)

Dressing
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and ground ahead of time

Directions:
1. Break dried soba noodle into half length and boil them in a large pan with a plenty of water. Cook for 4-5 minutes until al dente.

2. Soak dried wakame seaweed in the cold water for about 5 minutes. Then squeeze the water out.

3. Bring pot of salted water to the boil and add in your raw prawns. They will quickly cook and turn pink. Remove from water once colored all over, approximately 3-4 minutes, and allow to cool before slicing each cooked prawn in half.

4. Chop off both ends of the cucumber then peel and cut into half lengthways. Remove seeds from inside and then slice on the diagonal into thin, long pieces.

5. Peel, slice and chop half of the ginger into very fine, needle-thin sticks and grate the other half. Finely chop green onion diagonally.

6. Drain soba noodles under cold water and rinse well. Drain the water completely.

7. Toss the noodles with cucumber, prawns, spring onion and wakame seaweed. Reserve a few prawns for garnish. Mix all the dressing ingredients well and toss with noodle mixture.

8. Plate noodles in a bowl, twisting the noodles to create a high pile. Decorate the top of the noodles with remaining crab or prawns. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and finely sliced ginger.

Enjoy!