I am often asked how to prepare Swiss chard. This leafy vegetable that grows abundantly in Quebec during the summer has a subtly bitter taste and can be prepared in several ways. Here is a recipe that features this little-known vegetable. I love soba noodles, which are often a mix of wheat and buckwheat. They have a more pronounced taste and pair well with Asian flavors.
Servings: 2 to 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Ingredients :
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard
- 1 pack of soba noodles
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- Sriracha to taste
- Hoisin sauce to taste
- 4 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp coriander roots, finely chopped
- Coriander leaves for garnish
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional: zest of a lime
- Optional: lime juice to serve
Steps:
1. Remove the leaves from the chard stems. This is often easy to do with your hands.
2. Cut the stems into small pieces. For the leaves, cut more roughly into uniformly sized pieces.
3. Bring salted water to a boil in a pot to cook the pasta.
4. Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for a few seconds and add the chard stem pieces. Cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.
5. Add the leaves and let them cook for a few minutes until they are reduced by ¾ in volume.
6. Add sesame seeds, cilantro roots, lime zest, sriracha, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and season with salt to taste. Set aside in a bowl large enough to toss with the noodles later.
7. Cook the noodles in salted water. Soba noodles usually cook quickly, about 4 minutes. Reserve some of the cooking water just in case.
8. Drain pasta and add to large bowl with Swiss chard mixture. Stir vigorously with two wooden spoons to combine. Add more pasta water if needed.
9. Before serving, add the sesame oil and stir one last time.
10. This dish is best served warm or at room temperature. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime juice to serve.