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Soba noodles with lime, cardamom and avocado

Name: Soba noodles with lime, cardamom and avocado
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 200g buckwheat noodles (substitute green tea soba); 12 green cardamom pods; 30g basil leaves, picked, roughly chopped; 30g coriander leaves, picked, roughly chopped; 70g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped; 3 limes: finely grate the zest of 2 to get 1 tsp, then juice 2 to get 1/4 cup (60ml); slice the final lime into 4 wedges to serve; 1/4 cup (60ml) groundnut oil (substitute grapeseed oil); 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced; 2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/2-cm slices; 1/4 tsp nigella seeds or Urfa chilli flakes (optional), to sprinkle

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by Yotam Ottolenghi

Nov 01, 2018

“Scraping the seeds from 12 cardamom pods and crushing them might feel like a bit of a fiddle, just for 1/2 tsp, but it’s a few minutes well worth spending. Unleashing the fruity, floral and citrusy spice into the dish makes it really quite distinct. I like to eat this as it is for a quick lunch or light supper, or with some prawns or tofu stirred through just before serving. It also works well served alongside some pan-fried salmon or topped with a soft-boiled egg” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract from Ottolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.

200g buckwheat noodles (substitute green tea soba)
12 green cardamom pods
30g basil leaves, picked, roughly chopped
30g coriander leaves, picked, roughly chopped
70g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
3 limes: finely grate the zest of 2 to get 1 tsp, then juice 2 to get 1/4 cup (60ml); slice the final lime into 4 wedges to serve
1/4 cup (60ml) groundnut oil (substitute grapeseed oil)
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 ripe avocados, cut into 1/2-cm slices
1/4 tsp nigella seeds or Urfa chilli flakes (optional), to sprinkle

Method

1.

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet (they vary from brand to brand). Once cooked, refresh under cold running water and set aside in a colander to drain well.
2.

With the flat side of a knife, crush the cardamom pods to open them up. Scrape the seeds out into a pestle and mortar and discard the outer husks. Crush the seeds – you should get about 1/2 tsp – and place in a large bowl with the noodles. Add the basil, coriander, pistachios, lime zest and juice, oil, chilli, avocado and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix everything together well, then divide among four bowls. Spoon any avocado, nuts and herbs left in the bowl on top. Sprinkle over the nigella seeds or chilli flakes, if using, and serve with a wedge of lime alongside.