Asian Noodle Salads

This time of year, farmers markets are full of the season’s bounty. Grab what’s available and experiment with adding different flavors and textures to salads. Texture in a salad can be created simply by the way the vegetables are prepared, making each stand out and highlighting their flavors at the peak of ripeness. Guided by an Asian-inspired muse, these recipes showcase a variety of noodle styles (available at an Asian market or online) to mix up the routine and inspire new pairing combinations.

Asian-Style Dressing
The use of a semi-bitter to full-on hop bomb beer in this dressing adds both floral nuances and a little bitterness that lends balance and depth to this Asian-inspired dressing.

Makes: almost 1/2 cup

Ingredients:
1 each lime, zested and juiced
1/4 cup Trumer Pils, Firestone Walker Pale 31 or 10 Barrel Apocalypse IPA
2 tbsp rice vinegar, seasoned
2 tbsp cilantro, washed and chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tsp sesame oil, toasted
2 tsp sweet Thai chili sauce
1 tsp soy, tamari or shoyu sauce
1/2 tsp cracked white peppercorns
2 each garlic cloves, peeled and grated (on a microplane)

Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, add the lime juice and zest, beer of choice (depending on the level and amount of hop and malt flavor you’d like in the final dressing), rice vinegar (or substitute malt vinegar), ginger, sesame oil, sweet Thai chili sauce (or Sriracha sauce), soy sauce, cracked pepper and garlic. Whisk the ingredients together and taste it. Add more salt if needed. This dressing can be made ahead of time, or doubled or tripled, and will last up to a week in the refrigerator.

Uses:
• Cook about 6 ounces of udon, soba or somen noodles, and follow the cooking directions on the package. Then immediately remove them from the boiling water and submerge them in a bowl of ice water. Once cool, drain the noodles and place into a bowl. Add the Asian-Style Dressing and some toasted black & white sesame seeds, sliced green onions, a julienne of basil leaves and some bean sprouts to make a cold noodle salad.
• Pour over a bowl of shredded Napa cabbage, grated carrots, mandarin orange segments and some toasted almonds; toss together and garnish the salad with some cilantro sprigs.
• Use as a dip for fried egg rolls.

Hot & Cold Asian Noodle Salad
Adding texture to a salad creates interest and new sensations with each bite. This salad uses a range of temperatures, from cold to hot. To enhance the texture of this dish, the noodle is boiled, then lightly fired, creating a crispy crust and chewy inside that complements the other ingredients.

Serves: 4 as an entrée or 8 as a side course

Ingredients:
1/2 cup bean sprouts, washed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro, washed and leaves torn
1/4 cup basil, Thai or Genovese, cut into a chiffonade
1 each carrot, peeled and julienned, or grated
1 each green onion, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 each cucumber, julienned or grated
1/2 each bell pepper, red or yellow, seeded and julienned
3 tbsp peanuts, toasted and chopped fine
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, white and/or black
2 tbsp hemp seeds, hulled
1 recipe Asian-Style Dressing Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (optional)
Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
2 lb. Asian-style noodle, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong or chow mein

Directions:
In a large bowl, add the bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, carrot, green onion, cucumber and bell pepper. Add about half of the Asian-Style Dressing and toss to lightly mix together.

Cook the noodles, following the instructions on the package. Once the noodles are done, drain from the boiling water into a sieve or colander. Preheat a wok or cast iron pan over high heat, add a few tablespoons of vegetable/peanut oil and tilt to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Add the noodles and form an even layer, similar to a cake layer. Lightly season the noodles with salt and another tablespoon or two of oil. Let the noodles crisp up and turn a light golden color, about 3 minutes. Flip the noodles over using a spatula or tongs, and repeat. Divide the noodles by cutting or tearing them into four portions, and place onto a wide bowl or plate.

Top each crispy noodle “cake” with a bit of the prepped vegetables and garnish with the peanuts, sesame and hemp seeds. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing. Serve immediately with your choice of hot sauce.

Pairing: Try a hoppy Pilsner, a Saison, an APA or Pale Ale with a nice citrus hop flavor, or an IPA.

Far East Nut Brown Ale Dressing
This dressing is similar to a Thai-style peanut satay sauce, but it has a twist. The melanoidins from the beer’s grist complements the peanut and sesame richness, while bringing out the umami flavor that many Asian sauces are known for. This sauce can be used as a salad dressing, a dip for crudités and satays, or can be added to an Asian fusion wrap.

Makes: about 12 ounces of dressing

Ingredients:
5 oz Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale, Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale or Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth (or cashew butter if allergic)
3 tbsp sesame oil, light
2 tbsp soy, tamari or shoyu sauce
2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 tsp malt vinegar
2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated fine (use a microplane)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked white peppercorns
2 each garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:
In the pitcher of a blender, add the Brown Ale, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, malt vinegar, ginger, salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Next, purée the ingredients into a smooth paste like dressing. If the dressing is too thick, thin it out with a little more beer. Transfer the dressing into a mason jar or other sealable container, and refrigerate until ready to use. This dressing can be made in advance and will last up to two weeks.

Peanut Eggplant Salad over Crispy Noodles
As a kid, I loved watching the Maifun noodles hit the hot oil and puff or pop up like popcorn. In this salad recipe, I have added the crispy noodles to create a contrasting texture to the soft eggplant.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 each eggplants, Japanese style, or other eggplant, cubed (about 6 cups total)
1 recipe Far East Nut Brown Ale Dressing
2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 each yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cups mushrooms, white or brown beech (Buna Shimeji)
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and grated fine
1 tbsp garlic, peeled and grated
1 bunch kale, dino or green, stems removed and chopped
1 package Maifun noodles Shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice blend) (optional)
sesame seeds, toasted, white and/or black for garnish
basil, leaves only, whole

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the cubed eggplant into a large bowl and toss with half of the Far East Nut Brown Ale Dressing. Pour the eggplant onto a Silicone baking sheet or parchment paper that’s lightly greased with oil, creating an even single layer. Roast in the oven 25–30 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown and the center is creamy.

While the eggplant is roasting, in a hot wok or sauté pan over high heat, add the oil and cook the onions until they just start to become transparent, about 4–5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and half of the ginger and garlic. Continue to stir and cook for another 3–4 minutes, until the mushrooms just start to turn soft. Add the kale, and the remaining ginger and garlic, to the pan and cook until the kale wilts. Transfer the cooked ingredients to a bowl. Once the eggplant is roasted, add it to the bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.

In a Dutch oven or high-sided skillet, add about 3 inches of high-temperature oil, such as peanut oil, and bring the temperature up to 400°F. The oil will just start to smoke. Have some layers of paper towels on the countertop nearby. Add a third of the dried Maifun noodles to the hot oil and lightly press down with a spider or skimmer. The noodles will puff up, popping and expanding. After about 30 seconds, flip the noodles over and repeat. Once all the noodles have “popped,” strain them from the oil onto the paper towels to cool and drain. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Before each batch, make sure the oil comes back up to 400°F.

To serve, place a medium-size ring of the puffed Maifun noodles onto the plate or platter. Top with the eggplant/kale salad and garnish with Shichimi togarashi, sesame seeds and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves, basil leaves or mint leaves.

Pairing: The pairings with this salad can go in many directions. Play up the peanut element with a Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Ale or other Brown, Nut Brown or Amber Ale. A Bock or Dunkelweizen would also be an interesting choice over the classic Pilsner. A crisp Kölsch will complement the fried noodles, as would an Asian-style Pilsner. ■