Chilled soba and grilled chicken

Tamara West

The cool colours of this yummy dinner are just right for autumn.

Ingredients

3	Chicken breasts, boneless
1	Garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp	Soy sauce
180 g	Soba noodles, (dried)
½	Telegraph cucumbers, halved, deseeded and cut into chunky batons
1 cup	Mizuna, tatsoi or baby spinach leaves
4 tsp	Sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan until golden
3 cm	Ginger, knobs x2, cut in thin batons
1	Spring onion, cut into thin circles

Dipping sauce

½ cup	Soy sauce, Japanese
¼ cup	Water
1	Lemon, large, juice of

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts, garlic and soy in a shallow dish. Turn chicken a few times to coat, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Cook soba noodles according to packet instructions. Rinse very well under running cold water to remove all starch. Separating the noodles to untangle any clumps, transfer them in a loose pile to a large plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Prepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients together. If there are any firm little pearls of lemon flesh, add these to the sauce too.
4. Place chicken breasts on a rack over a baking dish and bake at 220C for 15 minutes (or until cooked through). Set aside for 5 minutes, then slice thinly, crosswise.
5. Picking up just a few chilled soba at a time, arrange them in loose piles on individual plates. Arrange cucumber batons and mizuna alongside, then add some chicken slices to each plate too. Divide dipping sauce between 4 little bowls and place one on each plate.
6. Put sesame seeds, ginger batons and sliced spring onion in small bowls for passing.
7. To eat, add your choice of sesame seeds, ginger or spring onion to the dipping sauce. Dip each mouthful in your sauce before eating.