Blackwattle Vinaigrette + Soba Noodle Salad

This is one of my all time favourite vinaigrette recipes.

I first learned it when I was 19, working in this tiny little spot in Glebe, just outsdie the city centre of Sydney, Australia, called the Blackwattle Café.   The chef there had been building the place for years, and had gone admittedly a little squirrely.

He was burnt out, but brilliant.  

One day he put this feature on.  It was a Roasted Chicken and Noodle Salad with Cashews, and loads of raw veggies, which sounded delicious.  When he gave me the vinaigrette recipe, though, and I set about collecting all the mise en place, I quickly realized this was unlike any vinaigrette I had made before.  The combination of flavours just sounded...strange. 

Coriander – yum, ok. Mint – delicious, what's next?  Sesame oil, ginger, ok great, one last thing to grab. Got it. Wait, wait?  Rosemary?? 

I was too intimidated by him to clarify if it was a mistake.  So I went ahead and made it as written.

But as soon as I tried it, my mind was blown.

Ever since that day, whenever summer is really at its' peak, I crave one version or another of that salad, and in particular that delicious dressing.

If you saw my last recipe for our (sadly sunsetted) Umami Pickled Carrots, this is a great recipe to incorporate those!

I've kept this version vegetarian but you could absolutely top this with a lovely piece of fish, some tofu or indeed, as Chef Tiong would have done, a perfectly cooked piece of chicken.