I’ve always had a serious weakness for udon noodles. These beautiful thick, chewy noodles with that little bounce when you bite them. They’re pure joy to eat. Mix that with my love for Asian salads, fresh and bursting with flavors, and you get this recipe. I developed it wanting a homemade version of a Japanese classic, but simplified so you can make it on a Tuesday night without breaking your head. Result: a salad so good it works just as well as a side dish or main course, whether it’s summer on the deck or winter when you want something fresh on your plate. My kids are crazy about it, and I regularly put it in their lunches.<\/p>\n
First lesson, learned the hard way: NEVER overcook your udon noodles. Overcooked, they become mushy, gluey, and not good to eat. Follow the package instructions religiously. It’s really not long, and that extra minute ruins everything. Rinse them thoroughly with cold water after cooking to stop the cooking and remove the starch that would make them stick. Second lesson, even more important: taste and reseason once your dressing is mixed with the salad. Nine times out of ten, it just needs salt for all the flavors to pop. Salt is what awakens the notes of ginger, toasted sesame and lime. Never underestimate this last step.<\/p>\n
This salad is my ultimate versatile recipe. I put it in my kids’ lunches. They flip for it, it’s a complete cold lunch that doesn’t get soggy. I also bring it out for a quick summer dinner on the deck with grilled shrimp on the BBQ alongside, or as a side to grilled chicken with Asian flavors. Add shrimp and you’ll literally be in heaven. Add tofu cubes, edamame, grilled chicken thighs or even salmon, and you transform a side salad into a big ultra-versatile meal bowl. It’s the kind of recipe that adapts to what you have in the fridge. And that’s exactly why I love it so much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Udon noodle salad with vegetables, sesame-ginger dressing, kale and cashews. Fresh, versatile, as a side dish or complete meal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"udon noodle salad with vegetables","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Udon Noodle Salad Recipe with Sesame-Ginger Dressing","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"This udon noodle salad recipe tosses chewy noodles with kale, cashews, and a zesty sesame-ginger dressing for a fresh, versatile meal.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Udon noodle salad with vegetables","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"Udon noodle salad with vegetables, sesame-ginger dressing, kale and cashews. Fresh, versatile, as a side dish or complete meal.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"recipe_category":[165,167,178,173,186],"sponsorship":[],"class_list":["post-60068","recipe","type-recipe","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","recipe_category-lunches-en","recipe_category-main-dishes","recipe_category-sides","recipe_category-salads-bowls","recipe_category-vegetarian"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n