Crunchy, creamy, spicy noodle salad
We eat this salad year-round. There’s minimal cooking involved, so it helps on the energy usage front. And, you can switch up the veg depending on what’s in season – chopped cucumbers in the summer, lots of herbs, or whatever your favourites are. With all the textures and bursts of flavour, it’s a good meal to add to your week to help reduce meat consumption. I sometimes double the recipe and chill all the leftover elements separately to assemble another when needed. Joe Woodhouse
SERVES 4 PREP 35 mins COOK 10 mins EASY V
150g carrots (about 2 medium), cut into matchsticks
3 tbsp rice vinegar, or any other vinegar
1 tbsp honey or sugar
4 nests rice noodles of your choice, such as brown (about 250g)
4 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes or pul biber
1 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp chilli flakes
40g sunflower seeds
5 tbsp tahini
300g silken tofu
1 tbsp soy sauce
150g white cabbage, sprouts or any other cabbage, thinly shredded
50g soft herbs of your choice (such as coriander, mint, dill or a mixture), leaves picked
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 Tip the carrots into a heatproof bowl. Pour the vinegar into a small pan with 3 tbsp water and the honey or sugar. Add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, then immediately pour this over the carrots and leave to pickle while you prepare the rest of the dish, stirring occasionally.
Cook the noodles following pack instructions until tender, then drain, rinse under cold running water and
