Mint, cucumber & prawn soba with orange dressing
Buckwheat noodles with cucumber, prawns and mint in a zesty orange dressing — fresh and uplifting, and no reheating needed.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Blanch
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings tension and a tight chest, and early-summer heat adds irritability. Fragrant mint and orange peel soothe the liver and lift the mood, cucumber clears heat and the bright colours cheer you up; at room temperature it is refreshing but easy on the stomach.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Cook the soba in boiling water for 4–5 minutes (check the packet), rinse under cooled boiled water to remove the starch, drain and toss with 1 tsp sesame oil.
- 2Bring another pan of water to the boil with the ginger, blanch the prawns for 1–2 minutes until pink and curled, then lift out and cool.
- 3Finely shred the cucumber and carrot. Grate a little orange zest, then squeeze the juice and mix with the soy sauce, honey and remaining sesame oil.
- 4Pack the noodles, prawns and vegetables in a lunchbox with the dressing separate and refrigerate. Take it out 20 minutes before eating, then add the dressing and torn mint and toss.
Cautions
- Allergic to prawns or shellfish? Use shredded poached chicken breast instead.
- Most soba contains wheat flour; if you avoid gluten or react to buckwheat, use rice noodles.
Chef's tips
- Keep the dressing separate until lunchtime so the noodles do not go soggy.
- Tear the mint just before eating for the most fragrance.
The TCM view
Mint is pungent and cool and moves liver qi; orange peel is pungent, bitter and warm and eases the chest; buckwheat is sweet and cool and helps qi descend; cucumber is sweet and cool and clears heat; prawns are sweet and warm and balance the cooler ingredients. Fragrance moves qi and sweet-sour wakes the appetite — calming summer restlessness.
