Chilled Soba Noodles with Crispy Shallots

1. Fill and boil your kettle. Tip the vegetable bouillon powder and caster sugar into a heatproof jug. Finely grate in the ginger and squeeze in the lime juice. Add the tamari and vegan fischy sauce, then pour in 400ml hot water and stir till the bouillon powder and sugar have dissolved. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if you think it needs it. Set aside.

2. You now need to cool your stock – if you have ice, add a couple of handfuls to a large bowl, then nestle the jug into the ice cubes. Pour enough cold water into the bowl, making sure it doesn’t go into the jug, so the water and ice come halfway up the side of the jug, then set aside. No ice? Pop the jug into a large bowl and pour in enough cold water to come halfway up the jug. Alternatively, pour the stock into a wide bowl, dish or tub and set aside to cool – the more surface area exposed to the air, the faster it will cool. Don’t put the hot jug into your fridge or freezer, as that will raise the temperature of your fridge and risk spoiling the food inside.

3. Peel and finely slice the shallots. Pour 150ml oil into a deep frying pan and warm over a medium-high heat for 2-3 mins till hot. Add the shallots and fry, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 7-8 mins till golden brown and crisp. Lift out of the pan with a slotted spoon or tongs. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper. See our tip for perfect deep-frying and an alternative method.

4. Fill a medium-sized pan with the remaining hot water from the kettle and top it up with more water, if necessary. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil. When the water is bubbling, add the soba noodles and simmer for 5 mins till tender but still a little chewy. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Divide between two shallow bowls and drizzle over the sesame oil. Toss to coat in the oil, then set the bowls aside.

5. Trim the leaves off the radishes then thinly slice the radishes. Trim and peel the carrot, then slice into batons. Trim the roots and any ragged greens off the spring onions, then finely slice them. Finely slice the spinach.

6. Pour the cooled stock over the noodles. Top with the radishes, carrot, spring onions, spinach and the crispy fried shallots. Serve straight away.

7. Safe Frying
When you're deep-frying the shallots, the oil should be around 180°C. If you have a deep fat fryer, use that and set it to 180°C. Otherwise, use a pan and warm for 2 mins, then drop in a cube of bread. It should brown within 15 secs. If you'd prefer not to deep-fry the shalots, shallow fry them in 2 tbsp oil, stirring often, for 10 mins till browned and tender. They won't be crispy but you'll still get that rich, caramelised shallot flavour.

8. Cooking Oil Disposal
You'll have some oil leftover after cooking the shallots. Let it cool in the pan, then pour it into a solid container, like a tin or a jar, and freeze it. Then you can safely add it to your rubbish on your next collection day. Don't pour it down the sink, and check whether your local council recycling centre offers cooking oil recycling services.