Soba noodles are hugely popular in Japanese cuisine. Made from buckwheat, which is high in protein (important for muscle recovery) and insoluble fibre (great for lowering blood sugar and improving digestion), it’s also a good source of manganese – essential for bone health. 

This colourful vegan dish not only looks and tastes great, but will make you feel great, thanks to the wide range of vitamins and minerals provided by the fruit and vegetable. We’re told to ‘eat the rainbow’ because different coloured fruit and veg offer different benefits, so consuming a variety of them ensures we get a balanced diet.

Here, we’ve got loads of vitamin C (good for your immune system) thanks to radish and orange, vitamin A (necessary for eye health) from carrots, and vitamin K (to support blood and bone health) from cucumber.

Cashews add a crunch, as well as a boost of energy-giving iron and magnesium.

Serves: 4

200g (7oz) soba noodles

3 tbsp roasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

70g (2½ oz) cashews

1 tsp shoyu

1 carrot, julienned

1 garlic clove, grated

Sea salt

1 tbsp mirin

1 long cucumber, deseeded, cut into matchsticks

2 oranges, cut into 5mm (1⁄4 in) thick rounds

12 radishes, thinly sliced

1 sheet of nori, cut into thin strips

50g (1¾ oz) pickled ginger, cut into matchsticks

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

SOBA NOODLE SAUCE:

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp shoyu

2 tbsp brown rice vinegar

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 garlic clove, grated

2 cm (¾ in) piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1. Bring 1.5 litres (6 cups) of water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the soba noodles and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and refresh under cold water — this will prevent the soba noodles sticking together. 

2.Return the noodles to the pan, drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and mix to combine.

3. Heat the olive oil and cashews in a small saucepan over medium heat and roast, stirring often to avoid burning the nuts, for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the nuts to a small bowl, add the shoyu and stir to coat.

4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot and the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then add a pinch of salt and the mirin and sauté for another minute.

5. Combine the soba noodle sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

6. Divide the soba noodles among plates and top with a generous amount of the sauce. 

7. Top with the carrot, cucumber, orange, radish, nori, pickled ginger, spring onion and cashews and enjoy with chopsticks.

Recipe taken from Plantbased: 80 nourishing, umami-rich recipes from the kitchen of a passionate chef by Alexander Gershberg (Smith Street Books, £26)

Image: Yannick van Leeuwaarde