Crispy Noodle Slaw with Peach Miso Dressing

This is the ultimate comfort salad. Combining fresh, juicy peaches, a rainbow medley of raw vegetables, some salty nuttyness from roasted cashews and a satisfying crunch thanks to the fried egg noodles. Generously drizzled with a glorious peach, ginger and miso dressing that tastes like a sweet and tangy, umami-peach-dream. The miso paste adds a surprising creaminess to the dressing that ties all the flavours together. Seriously, I can't decide what part of this salad is my favourite! It's a tough choice between the juicy peach slices, crunchy fried noodles and tangy miso-peach dressing. This slaw hits ALL the right spots.

I LOVE colourful salads. Just seeing all those colours together is enough to lift my mood. This slaw does not disappoint in the rainbow factor. Purple cabbage, orange carrots, light green edamame, sunset peach slices, yellow bell pepper and green onion slivers all come together for an almost complete rainbow.

Since fresh edamame is not readily available near me right now, I have to make due with the frozen variety. This can usually be found in the freezer section of the grocery store. It either comes in shelled or unshelled form. Just follow the timing directions and boil them in salted water, then drain them in a colander and run them under cold water ASAP to prevent them from cooking further. If the edamame still has the shell on, remove the beans from the shell and toss them in the salad bowl. Discard the shells.

Pairing a salad with the perfect dressing is step one for any salad recipe. Juicy, whole peaches are used as the base and give this dressing it’s thickness as well as its gorgeous colour. The ginger is very bright, the peaches sweet and juicy and the miso brings a certain creamy, umami flavour. Spiciness from the chili peppers flakes and some acidity from the rice and apple cider vinegar combo add even more depth of flavours. Then it’s all tied together with some cilantro and the white end of a green onion for aroma. Combine all the ingredients together with the oil and use either a hand blender or a food processor until it’s all smoothly blended together.

It may seem like quite a list of ingredients but it is WORTH it. Treat yourself to this delicious salad and be wowed. Drizzle the dressing over the slaw to taste. There should be plenty of leftovers to store in the fridge. It can be used as your salad dressing for the week or even as a marinade for some baked tofu, pork or chicken thighs. I’ve even used it as a stir fry sauce with great success!

As much as I love the dressing, the crispy, fried egg noodles might be the stars of this salad. When it comes to comfort food, it’s tough to compete with frying; but of course, there’s typically a healthy vs comfort trade-off. With this salad, you get the best of both worlds. Crispy, crunchy, noodles with some dark toasty spots. It took me a while to figure out how to fry noodles properly, but now that I’ve figured it out nothing stops me from indulging in some quality fried noods.

First things first for frying egg noodles…. dried noodles are going to make things significantly easier than fresh noodles. Most dried noodles are missing eggs as an ingredient which makes them fit in perfectly with this vegan slaw. Only cook the noodles half-way. Since you will be frying them (AKA cooking them even further), this is key to ensure they don’t overcook! They should have separated from one another, yet still feel stiff in places. Next, drain and run cold water over the noodles immediately, to stop them from continuing to cook. Toss the drained noodles in a few drops of sesame oil, to keep them from sticking together -this also adds some yummy sesame flavour to the noodles. Heat up a couple tablespoons of peanut oil (it tastes best!) in a wok over medium heat. Once the oil has heated up, swish it around the wok, making sure to coat the entire bottom and up the sides.

Do not overcrowd the wok! If you are thinking of doubling the recipe or frying a larger quantity of noodles for a stir fry, split them up and fry in batches. The amount called for in this recipe is the perfect amount so don’t worry. Fry the noodles for six to eight minutes total, using a large spatula or tongs to flip the noodles every two minutes. Make sure the noodles are evenly spread in the base of the wok to ensure an even cooking. The noodles are done frying when they are golden-brown all over and have crisped up. Remove the noodles from the wok and set them aside to cool. Give them a rough chop to shorten the length before tossing them into a bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.

Not only do the fried noodles taste fantastic with the sesame and peanut oil combo, but they also add the perfect crunch to every bite of slaw. It's really not that hard to fry up some noodles for any dish. Consider changing things up and adding fried noodles to your next stir fry.

Now that all the ingredient prep is done, this salad can be prepared in a couple different ways. Looking for a slaw? Just toss all the ingredients in a generous amount of the dressing and serve. Or, easily turn it into a salad by adding some greens and serving the slaw on a bed of lettuce like baby spinach.

This slaw can last for 2-3 days in the fridge if not mixed with any lettuce. Also, keep in mind the peach slices will turn mushy if left in the slaw overnight. Garnish the slaw with fresh peach slices right before serving every time to bypass this issue.

This slaw is great as a side for supper or you can add some baked chicken or tofu and have a salad power bowl for lunch. For example, this side goes perfectly with this Red Thai Pepper BBQ Sauce Roasted Chicken. Add some grilled bok choys for the perfect end of summer feast to wow your guests!