If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that I am a big aficionado of Asian flavours, especially in summer.
Unfortunately for me, living on a small (although insanely beautiful) Greek island isn’t amazing for getting Asian ingredients. Sometimes I really have to improvise a bit and mix what is readily available with whatever Asian seasoning I’m able to find here.
As we are in the middle of summer, Greek nectarines and peaches are to die for right now and so I have decided to incorporate them into today’s dish. Last year, I rolled them up in my summer rolls and they worked so well that this year I used them to make a light, fresh and no-cook Asian zucchini noodle salad.
Yes, you’ve heard right, this salad features noodles made of zucchini, also known as ‘zoodles’. If you are not a fan or simply like your carbs too much, you are welcome to add actual noodles (small rice noodles work great here). This salad has a lovely sweet and salty flavour profile from lashings of an addictive miso ginger sauce that I poured liberally on top of sweet nectarines and a crunchy texture from pan roasted peanuts (or cashews).
I don’t know about you, but for me this is a dream dish in this hot weather. It’s light, fresh and juicy, requires no cooking whatsoever and comes together in minutes so you are able to spend more time on the beach, evening out your tan. Result 😉 !
- 2 medium zucchinis / courgettes
- a wedge of red cabbage, shredded thinly
- a handful of lettuce leaves
- 1 ripe nectarine, sliced thinly
- 1 small cucumber, sliced thinly
- 1 large spring onion, green part only, sliced
- fresh coriander and / or mint leaves
- 2 handfuls of pan roasted peanuts (or cashews), crushed
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds, for decoration (optional)
MISO DRESSING
- 3 tbsp white miso paste / shiro miso paste (use gluten-free miso if gluten intolerant)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp Sriracha or other chilli sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp untoasted sesame oil or other mild tasting oil
- Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Add a splash of water (about a tablespoon) to achieve a pourable consistency.
- Turn zucchini flesh (skip the seedy / watery centre) into zoodles using a julienne peeler (I used this one), a spiralizer or a regular speed peeler and then cut them into thin strips with a knife.
- Grab a large plate or bowl. Place lettuce leaves on first, scatter zoodles and shredded cabbage on top. Place cucumber and nectarine slices on top. Scatter spring onion greens on last.
- Dot the salad with the dressing you prepared in step 1. Finally scatter fresh herbs, crushed nuts and black sesame seeds on top. Consume straight away.