What’s your favourite hot weather food? Mine’s gazpacho. I’m joking – gazpacho’s lovely, but cold noodles are my top pick because, in the summer, they meet me exactly where I am in both the cooking and the eating. They don’t need much by way of cooking, and they can be dressed and paired with many a store-cupboard ingredient – in today’s case, tahini, miso and sesame oil. Best of all, cooling the noodles shocks the starches, which makes them firmer and gorgeously “QQ”, a Taiwanese term used to describe food that’s delightfully bouncy and springy. Which personally, is how I’d like to feel all summer long.

Lime and sesame cold noodles with miso “meatballs”

You’ll need a food processor to make these.

Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

280g very firm tofu, drained and roughly chopped (Tofoo’s is by far the firmest I’ve come across)
60g dried breadcrumbs
4 tbsp white miso paste
2 tbsp agave syrup
Fine sea salt
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
250g ramen noodles
2½ tbsp tahini
3 tbsp lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
150g radishes, thinly sliced
150g cucumber, quartered and sliced
30g mint, leaves picked to get 18g

First make the “meatballs”. Put the tofu in a food processor with the breadcrumbs, two tablespoons of the miso, half a tablespoon of agave syrup and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt (in other words, a big pinch). Pulse or blend until the mix comes together into a dough, then tip out, break into roughly 20g pieces and roll into balls.

Put the rapeseed oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, fry the miso meatballs for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every so often so they fry evenly (and don’t catch and burn).

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain, rinse under cold water, until they’re cold, and leave to drain.

Now make the dressing. Whisk the remaining two tablespoons of miso with the tahini, lime juice, the remaining tablespoon and a half of agave syrup, the toasted sesame oil and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt.

Put the drained noodles and dressing in the empty noodle pan, add the radishes, cucumber, mint and meatballs, and mix well. Transfer to a large platter or divide between four bowls, and serve.