Duck and Noodle Salad

The Japanese Larder recipe using nurtured in norfolk’s micro cress, edible flowers, edible leaves, herbs, sea veg, pea shoots and micro/baby veg.

Method

To make the umeboshi dressing put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. Check for seasoning – depending on the time of year, lemons are sweeter or more acidic, so adjust by adding a little more sugar, lemon juice or umeboshi until you get a zingy, flavoursome and refreshing dressing. refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing will keep for a few days in the fridge.

roast the Chinese crispy aromatic duck, skin side up, following the packet instructions. This should take approximately 30 minutes at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. remove from the oven, let it cool down and, using your hands, tear the meat into chunky shreds. set aside.

In a bowl, rehydrate the kaiso seaweed mix in plenty of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Pat dry in a clean tea towel (dish cloth).

In a pan of boiling water, cook the mangetout for 30 seconds, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon (reserving the water) and plunge into a bowl of iced water. Once cooled, pat dry in a clean tea towel (dish cloth) and cut them in half.

In the same pan and boiling water, cook the harusame noodles following the packet instructions. This should take 3–4 minutes. rinse the noodles under fresh running water until they are completely cold and drain them through a colander. Using a pair of scissors, cut the noodles into roughly 5cm (2 inch) lengths.

Add the harusame noodles and fennel to a large mixing bowl, add two-
thirds of the umeboshi dressing and mix well. Add most of the remaining salad ingredients and gently fold them in until they are roughly combined. I like to keep a tiny bit of each ingredient to place on top of the dish as a finishing touch.

Transfer the salad to a serving platter, drizzle on the remaining umeboshi dressing, scatter the reserved ingredients over the dish and top with the micro basil leaves, edible flowers and a generous sprinkle of toasted white sesame seeds and sea salt flakes. serve.