Soba Noodle Salad with Thai Green Curry Sauce

 How do they do it?  Those other blogs with their perfectly styled pictures.  I once read one blogger spent hours arranging their pictures.  I can do that.  I just need to set my alarm for 3am, after all who needs sleep?  Me!  Food stylist not a future career for me.  At our house, we eat with our mouths and I remind them daily just how lucky they are to have such terrific food.  They nod in agreement and tell stories of poor eating experiences around town.  I enjoy their school lunch descriptions; something they will not let pass their lips.  How we wish for Revolution Food school food service.  We were lucky enough to participate in a lunch tasting over a year ago and my kids are still talking about just how wonderful the food was.  They service California, Colorado or the Washington D.C. metropolitan area schools.  Perhaps your school is able to breakaway from the bureaucracy of the school districts food service strangle hold and your kids can have real food.  Click on the link above and check out this wonderful program.

As salad month winds down, the foolery begins.  If the main ingredient is noodles can it still be called salad?

Soba Noodle Salad with Thai Green Curry Sauce

from Dale Gartland

Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010

adapted

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon green Thai curry paste (beware very spicy)
One 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes—drained and chopped, juices reserved
3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
3 baby bok choy—stems thinly sliced, leaves coarsely chopped
6 ounces soba noodles
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup roasted cashews  
1 scallion, thinly sliced 

~ bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil
~ in a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil
~ add the red curry paste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds
~ add the tomatoes and their juices and boil over moderately high heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes
~ add the chicken stock, coconut milk and brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 7 minutes
~ remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and fish sauce.
~ line a plate with paper towels
~ add the bok choy stems and leaves to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute
~ using a slotted spoon, transfer the bok choy to the paper towels and pat dry
~ add the soba to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente
~ drain the soba and rinse in a colander under cold water
~ let stand for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until dry
~ transfer the soba to a large bowl
~ add the  sesame seeds, 1 cup of the red curry sauce and all but 1/2 cup of the bok choy leaves and toss well
~ arrange the soba salad in shallow bowls and drizzle with the remaining sauce
~ garnish with the cashews, scallion and the remaining bok choy and serve