Niçoise Soba Salad with Wasabi-Soy Dressing (French × Japanese)

Method

1. In a small bowl, stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and wasabi until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the sesame oil and olive oil to make the dressing.

   Add in this stepSoy sauce 1½ tbspRice vinegar 1½ tbspSugar 1 tspWasabi paste ½ tspToasted sesame oil 1½ tspExtra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp

2. Lower the eggs gently into boiling water and cook over medium-high heat for 7 min, then put them straight into cold water. The yolks will be just soft in the centre. Peel when cool.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   medium-high heat

3. Bring 2 L of water to the boil over high heat in a large pot, blanch the trimmed green beans for 3 min, lift them into iced water, then cut into 4 cm lengths. Keep the water boiling.

   Add in this stepGreen beans 100 g

   high heat

4. Add the soba to the same water, spreading it out, and cook over high heat for 4 min, stirring (follow the packet time). Drain, then rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles with your hands to wash off the surface starch, and shake very dry. This keeps them springy and stops them sticking together.

   Add in this stepDried soba (buckwheat) noodles 100 g

   high heat

5. Halve the cherry tomatoes, cut the cucumber into matchsticks, slice the spring onions and halve the eggs. Toss the soba with half the dressing.

   Add in this stepCherry tomatoes 120 gCucumber ½Spring onions 1

6. Pile the soba into bowls and top with the beans, tomatoes, cucumber and big flakes of tuna, then the olives and eggs. Drizzle with the rest of the dressing, scatter over the spring onions, nori and sesame, and serve straight away.

   Add in this stepCanned tuna, drained 120 gBlack olives 8Toasted nori, cut into thin strips ½Toasted white sesame seeds 1 tsp