cold vegetable and noodle salad with ponzu dressing

Noodles & Pasta

Cold Vegetable and Noodle Salad with Ponzu Dressing

Acidic and salty, with an ocean whiff from kelp and Katsuobushi, ponzu (the name translates to "vinegar punch") is on track to be your new favorite condiment. But a sauce so complex comes with a long ingredient list and deserves a salad that will treat it well.

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari (i used a reduced sodium version)
1/4 cup bonito
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet sake)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
one 2-inch piece kombu
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces udon noodles
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon yellow miso
12 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 ears corn
1 cup cooked edamame
1 small head savoy cabbage, cut into small ribbons, rinsed, and dried
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
3 scallions, green parts only, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, or more to taste
lime wedges, for serving
basil and mint, torn, for serving

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan and mix to distribute.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes.
Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the ponzu into a small bowl. Let cool completely.
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, making sure to rinse them well under cold running water once they have finished cooking. Spread the noodles out onto a clean cloth to let them dry, then add to a bowl with the toasted sesame oil and toss to coat. This should prevent the noodles from forming large clumps. Put into the refrigerator to cool.
Preheat the oven to 400° F. To a small bowl, add the miso to 4 tablespoons of the ponzu. Whisk well to incorporate the miso and get rid of most of the clumps (some are okay).
Add the cubed tofu to a medium bowl and pour 3 tablespoons of the ponzu and miso mixture over top, stirring so that all of the tofu is evenly coated.
While the tofu marinates, cut the kernels off the ears of the corn, trying to get as much from the cob as possible. Corn juice is okay. Add the corn to a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of ponzu-miso dressing.
Spread the tofu onto a baking sheet and the corn onto another. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring after 10, until the tofu has golden, crisp edges and the corn is cooked and starting to brown. If you'd like your corn more charred, leave it in for longer. Let the tofu and corn cool completely on their baking sheets.
In a large serving bowl, pile in the noodles, tofu, corn, edamame, cabbage, and cucumber. Pour in the rest of the ponzu—reserving a little bit if you'd like to dress the salads more at the table—and toss so that everything is mixed and coated. Top with scallions and toasted sesame seeds and serve with lime wedges and torn herbs.