Miso-Walnut Soba with Bok Choy

As many of you know, I am in food love with Milk Street Magazine. The precise nature of their recipes makes them super-easy to adapt or veganize. And every now and then, they post a vegan dish that needs no adapting. This is one of them. I made this exactly as the recipe instructed the first time around. I did some tweaking, I admit since the amounts were waaaaaaaaayyy too much for the two of us and I played around with flavor. This is my tweaked version of the dish.

Makes 2-3 serving

Ingredient List:

• 6 ounces soba noodles
• 8 each baby bok choy, rnsed well and sliced lengthwise into ribbons
• 3/4 cup walnut pieces, lighty pan toasted
• 3 tablespoons white or red miso
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or other neutral flavor oil)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and smashed

Step By Step Instructions:

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook soba al dente. 

When the noodles are very close to done, remove 3 tablespoons of the cooking water and stir in the bok choy ribbons. Cook for 30 seconds more (you do not ant mushy noodles or over-cooked bok choy). Drain and rinse well, Set aside.

In a food processor or blender, combine walnuts (reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish), miso, oil, garlic and cooking water. Pulse to create a smooth pesto texture.

Stir into noodles and bok choy and toss until the noodles are coated with walnut mixture. Serve immediately. 

Cook’s Tip: The original recipe called for a finish seasoning of salt and pepper, but I did not feel the dish needed that extra salt and I am not a fan of pepper. When i make this dish again, I will add a bit of red chili flakes to the walnut mixture for spicy flavor. The original recipe also called for serving with lemon wedges or a Japanese hot spice called shichimi. Have fun with this one. There are a lot of variations to create. You can also add tofu or tempeh for some protein in the dish. Lost of possibilities.