Soba noodles with a Basil, Cardamom and Coriander lime sauce

A few weeks ago I went to a pottery workshop in beautiful Titirangi, Auckland New Zealand. They served a delightful vegetarian lunch and one of the dishes served was from Yotam Ottenlenghi‘s SIMPLE. The cookbook is filled with really easy recipes and after tasting this soba dish, I just had to remake it at home.

My recipe below is an adaptation of the original recipe, as J is allergic to pistachios and avocados are out of season. We also don’t have Nigella seeds so have used chilli flakes instead. This is optional.

Love the tanginess of the lime, but mostly, I am blown away by the cardamom. Feel free to up the cardamom quantities, I have been quite liberal with it myself! You should have left over dressing with the quantities below, which is great stored in a jar for a second meal.

Ingredients

250g buckwheat soba noodles
½ tsp of cardamom seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
35g (1 cup) basil leaves, roughly chopped
35g (1 cup) coriander leaves, roughly chopped
3 limes: slightly press and roll limes on the bench surface. Finely grate for 2 tsp zest, then juice to get 80ml.
Extra lime, cut into 4 wedges, to serve
5 tbsp olive or avocado oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 drops of garlic essence (optional)
1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
2 ripe avocados, deseeded and cut into thin slices (optional)
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional), to sprinkle over
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.
Once cooked, drain into a colander and rinse under cold running water. Set aside in the colander to drain well.
Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle (if using pods, open for seeds and discard the outer husks).
Place the crushed cardamom seeds in a mixing jug with the basil, coriander, lime zest and juice, oil, garlic, chilli, avocado (if using) and 1 tsp salt.
Place noodles in a large mixing bowl and pour dressing in. Mix everything together well, taste and add more seasoning if needed.
Serve platter style. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, if using, and serve with a wedge of lime.