soba noodle salad

From Simply Recipes. Elise makes a note that you can make this the night before, and we did -- we were having our downstairs neighbor over and we needed something we could serve quickly. I actually think it might be even better when it sits overnight -- the noodles and mango, and the chicken we added, really picked up the citrus and the rice vinegar.

Elise thinks this makes six large main-dish servings, but four of us managed to polish off the majority of it.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rice vinegar (we used a little more so we would have some extra marinade for the chicken)
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced (skipped this but wish we hadn't)
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Zest of one lime
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 12 ounces soba noodles
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (we also added some chopped snow peas)
  
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped into cubes (the way she suggests works like a dream)
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts
• Lime wedges for serving (optional)

Method

1 Place the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the sugar and salt dissolve. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño, and allow to cool. Add the lime juice, lime zest, and sesame oil and mix well.

2 Cook the noodles in salted water, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain and then rinse well under cool water. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and toss with the dressing.

3 Add the mango, bell pepper, basil and mint. Toss and plate. Serve with chopped peanuts sprinkled over the top and lime wedges.