Lunch: Soba With Green Chile Pesto

Recipe by Chris Morocco The key to cooking with chiles is to think of their heat not as a dare but as another essential building block of flavor, right alongside salt, acid, and fat. Rather than overpowering a dish, a perfectly calibrated prickle of spic

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Sesame Seeds, Miso, Basil

Health benefits of Soba With Green Chile Pesto

Sesame seeds help with progesterone balance. Lignans found in in sesame seeds help to prevent excess estrogen production. Miso is extremely nutrient-dense and believed to alkalinize the body and stop the effects of carcinogens in the system. Basil is an excellent stress reliever, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Ingredients

4 ounces soba (Japanese-style noodles)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 serrano chiles, 2 halved and seeds removed, 1 thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, chopped
2 cups chopped basil leaves, plus torn leaves for serving
2 cups chopped cilantro
2 cups trimmed watercress
Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Instructions

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup soba cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, whisk miso, lime juice, and oil in a large bowl. Chop halved chiles, garlic, and a pinch of salt together on a cutting board, then use the side of chef’s knife to mash into a paste. Transfer to bowl with miso mixture and mix well. Add scallions, chopped basil, and cilantro and toss to combine; season pesto with salt.
Add soba, watercress, and sliced chile to pesto and toss, adding reserved soba cooking liquid by the teaspoonfuls as needed, until nicely coated.
Serve noodles topped with torn basil and sesame seeds.