As much as I love local Irish produce, there are times when I need something more exotic. It’s great to have rhubarb, blackberries and damsons, but nothing brings sunshine into the kitchen like a perfectly ripe mango.
Likewise, dinner needn’t be roast root vegetables just yet. I feel pangs of guilt when I see leeks from France or potatoes from Greece. They grow so well here in Ireland. But I have no problem picking up the odd pineapple or Peruvian avocados, as I know they can’t be sourced here, although I’d be delighted if they could be.
In this dish, the sweet perfume of basil is gorgeous with bursts of musky mango, both tangled together in a nest of soba noodles. The crunchy red onion is necessary for texture as well as taste.
This noodle dish is a simplified version of a Yotam Ottolenghi dish. His original recipe contains more herbs, aubergine and a rice-wine dressing. This easier version is one I regularly rustle up for lunch or dinner.
When a mango is ready for eating, it has to be used. As with a pear or avocado, time can be spent watching the fruit, waiting for the perfect moment to eat it before it quickly deteriorates. So keep your mango recipes at hand.
Soba noodles are fantastic to have at the back of the cupboard. I usually buy a few packs at once and stash them away for a day when their incredible convenience is really in demand. Noodles are the ultimate fast food. In just over five minutes you can sit down to this delicious dish.
These thin noodle are made from buckwheat flour, and are usually served cold or in a hot broth. Buckwheat is related to rhubarb and not to wheat, despite it’s name. It’s high in protein and said to be good for cholesterol.
So basically, these noodles are healthy but, more importantly, they taste great, especially when dressed with nutty roast sesame seed oil and a good sprinkling of crunchy sea salt. Sesame seed oil is always used at the end of cooking, never to fry or actually cook but rather to add flavour and texture.
One of my favourite ways to use it is as a dressing for a grated-carrot salad mixed with honey and lemon juice. It’s simple but gorgeous, especially when scattered with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Soba are the best noodles for this dish, because they have a distinctive, nutty taste. You can buy different varieties made from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat; these will be a little lighter and do contain gluten.
Leftovers are surprisingly portable: the meal will keep well for the following day, and is lovely rolled into a sheet of nori sushi along with a few other vegetables and herbs.
Feel free to add more to this dish – crunchy strips of red pepper or a handful of roasted peanuts. Use coriander instead of basil, or scatter the finished dish with toasted coconut flakes.
MANGO SOBA NOODLES: SERVES 4
The five ingredients
- 2 mangoes, peeled, destoned and diced
- 10 basil leaves
- Half a red onion, finely diced
- 300g soba noodles
- 2tbs sesame seed oil
From the cupboard
- Sea salt
Method
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the noodles and bring back to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and simmer for three to four minutes until cooked. Drain in a sieve over the sink, and rinse with cold water. Shake off excess water and place in a large bowl.
Add the sesame-seed oil and a half to one teaspoon of sea-salt flakes; toss gently to coat the noodles. Add the cubed mango and finely diced onion. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and add to the noodles at the last minute. Serve immediately.
Every Thursday we'll tweet and post the five ingredients on irishtimes.com so you can have them ready on Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes
