Japanese Style Tuna Noodle Salad

In a cross cultural dinner we started with my favorite Wedge Salad from APL Restaurant in Hollywood. This is a fantastic salad made with a Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Thick Home Made Bacon. The best part is they deliver. We followed the salad with a recipe we found in the New York Times: Japanese-Style Tuna Noodle Salad. Some times the magic works and sometimes it doesn't. We found the recipe too bland for us. However if you are a fan of Japanese cooking you should give it a try.

Japanese-Style Tuna Noodle Salad

New York Times

 

Here’s a simple udon salad I picked up from the chef and entrepreneur Bart van Olphen, who elevates canned tuna to the heights of deliciousness. Van Olphen dresses the noodles in what he calls wafu dressing, which translates roughly as Japanese-style: a sweet-salty vinaigrette of soy, sesame oil, mirin and rice vinegar. I add a little sweet miso for texture and taste, and increase the amount of seaweed in the salad as well. Garnish with sesame seeds or furikake, the Japanese seasoning blend, and you have a superior tuna casserole. It is as good served cold as hot.

 

Ingredients

 

For The Salad:

 

¼               cup cut dried wakame seaweed

8                ounces dried udon noodles (or whatever noodles you have on hand)

1 to 2        tablespoons furikake or sesame seeds

10 to 12    ounces tuna in oil, drained

2                scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

 

For The Dressing:

 

2       tablespoons sesame oil

2       tablespoons canola oil

2       tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1       tablespoon mirin

1       tablespoon soy sauce

1       teaspoon sweet miso

 

Preparation

1.   Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high, and set the wakame in a small bowl. Once the water comes to a boil, ladle or pour enough over the wakame to cover it by 2 inches; let the wakame soak for 10 minutes. Transfer the wakame to a colander to drain and cool; set aside.

2.   While the wakame soaks, cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

3.   Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk to combine the sesame oil, canola oil, rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and miso; set aside.

4.   In a small skillet, lightly toast the sesame seeds, if using, over medium-low heat until fragrant; set aside.

5.   Drain the cooked noodles in the colander, then transfer to a wide, shallow serving bowl. Add the wakame and about 3/4 of the dressing, and toss to coat. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Top each portion with tuna, drizzle with the remaining dressing, then sprinkle with the scallions and furikake or sesame seeds. Serve hot, cold or anywhere in between.