Make Ahead

Dawn Perry's Soba Salad with Cucumbers, Soft Tofu & Quick Chile Oil

by:
July 24, 2017
4.8
4 Ratings
Dawn Perry's Soba Salad with Cucumbers, Soft Tofu & Quick Chile Oil
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This recipe comes from Dawn Perry's new Short Stack, Cucumbers.

It comes with a simple chile oil you can turn to again and again—whether you're looking to spice up ricotta cheese or a margarita pizza or, yes, a bowl of noodles—and a smart trick for accentuating the flavor of your cukes: By salting the sliced cucumbers, you'll draw out the excess liquid, ensuring their crunchiness. But Dawn doesn't throw the cucumber liquid down the drain: instead, she uses it to bolster the dressing with more cucumber flavor. As Dawn puts it, you'll get "big, fresh flavor against the cold, buttery tofu." —Sarah Jampel

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the quick chile oil:
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 whole dried chile such as chile de arbol or Calabrian, lightly crushed
  • 1 medium seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt
  • One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 9 ounces soba noodles
  • 14 ounces silken tofu
  • Quick chile oil (from above)
  • 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
  • Large handful torn fresh basil leaves
Directions
  1. For the quick chile oil:
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil, red pepper flakes, and dried chile. Cook, swirling occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling about 4 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the oil to a bowl or glass jar; let cool (no need to strain the chile). The oil will keep, tightly sealed in the refrigerator, for a very long time.
  2. Place the cucumbers in a large bowl and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside, tossing occasionally, until the cucumbers have release some of their liquid, about 15 minutes.
  3. Drain off any accumulated juices into a separate medium bowl, and whisk in the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil. Pour over the cucumbers and toss to combine.
  4. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, then drain once more.
  5. Add the drained soba noodles to the cucumber mixture and toss to combine. Divide the noodles and cucumbers among 4 bowls and top each with a spoonful of tofu. Drizzle each bowl with some of the Quick Chile Oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and basil, and serve.
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5 Reviews

Bart O.
Bart O. April 24, 2022
I feel this recipe needs some mirin or any other source of sweetness. Also I don't understand the incorporation of the cucumber juices. Is the intention to have a soup-like element in this dish?
 
ariel A.
ariel A. July 21, 2021
This salad is delightful! Came together very quickly, too. If I was in a huge rush and wanted to make it even faster, I would skip salting the cucumbers, but it was a nice touch.
 
Maureen
Maureen August 12, 2018
A bizarre question...I have an aversion to tofu (too many years as a vegetarian?) so what can I substitute? I have the crazy idea of fresh mozz, maybe even burrata. Is that horrible?
 
weshook
weshook October 3, 2019
Answering more than a year later, but how about shelled examine or some neutral white beans?
 
Bobby L.
Bobby L. August 9, 2017
i've had this chile-oil recipe in my head forever, just never had the right proportions...thank you! now i'm gonna make those yummy cuke noodles!