East meets west noodle salad

I've mentioned before that lunch on saturdays is my preferred mealtime of the week. There is nothing more relaxed and more pleasurable as far as I'm concerned! This is what I came up with last saturday, a creation of my own, so to speak - M., this one is for you! The vegetables can be varied according to whatever you happen to have (but I know some people who would never leave the mangtout out). I called it east meets west because of the smoked salmon, which is completely optional, of course, though the saltiness works well with the sweetish dressing (plus, I just needed to use it up).

East meets west noodle salad (serves 1 very hungry or 2 moderately hungry persons)

• 80g dried egg noodles
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 0.5 teaspoon olive oil
• half a spring onion, finely chopped
• half a red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 50g mange-tout (I used frozen)
• 1 slice smoked salmon, cut into strips
• 1 handfull mustard cress
• a couple of mint leaves, chopped
• a sprinkle of Nanami Togarashi or chili flakes
  

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons nuoc nam
• 1 teaspoon demerara sugar
  

Cook the noodles, drain and refresh under the cold tap. Place in a bowl and mix with one teaspoon sesame oil in order to prevent them from sticking together. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and gently fry the spring onion until soft, then add the pepper and fry for a couple of minutes but make sure it remains crunchy. Add the mangetout and cook briefly until just done. Don't overcook or they'll lose their beautiful colour. Set the vegetables aside to cool slightly. Stir all the ingredients for the dressing together, adjusting the quantities according to taste. Add the vegetables, the salmon strips, mustard cress and mint to the noodles and mix carefully. Pour over the dressing and toss. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of Nanami Togarashi or chili flakes and eat with chopsticks.