You can totally tell when I’m starting to run out of interesting things to talk about on here, cause I will just revert to talking about the weather. I am pointedly aware of this, and despite my best efforts to divert the conversation into a more relevant or entertaining area, sometimes I just fail. But that’s fine, because the more I think about it, this salad(?) definitely falls into the category of hot summer food. It’s cool, crisp, refreshing, and basically everything I want to eat this summer. Chewy fat udon noodles studded with the bounty of summer peas and beans, crispy spicy greens, tond of crunchy things, and a cool tangy dressing. Sign me up for three. I actually did order this week, but I got declined. Believe it or not, this happens a lot- but I’m fine with it, cause I’d rather let y’all enjoy it 🙂 This bowl of goodness is 100% intended to be eaten cold, but I suppose you could microwave it or pan fry it as well- just leave the dressing off till the end. Bitter, nutty (no nuts, don’t worry- nuttyness comes from the roasted sesame seeds!), and sweet, the dressing ties everything together in the best way.

To prepare: toss everything in a large bowl, and mix mix mix! Drizzle the dressing on top, toss it into the noodles and veggies, and plate it up. If you’re going the hot route, as I said, you can either pan fry everything in a large nonstick pan to get some caramelization on there, or just pop it in the microwave for a minute or two to take the chill off. Once it’s hot, drizzle the dressing on top like a sauce, and dig in! However, I definitely think cold is the way to go. Also, hot sauce is heavily recommended. For this dinner, I’d use a fermented chile sauce like sriracha. 

If you got sweet chili shrimp!

Excellent move, first of all. This bowl was crying out for some sweet chili shrimp to be scattered on top. I’m going to suggest not reheating the shrimp, because I think the texture and delicate flavors of the shrimp and the thai basil in the chili sauce are wonderful when eaten cold, and will go great with the rest of the cool, crisp salad. However, if you’d like to heat them up, just scatter them on top before you microwave, or if you’re pan frying, toss them in the pan at the end of the cooking time to warm them through. The dressing goes real nice with the shrimp too. It’s all good stuff. 

Enjoy!

<3 WECO