Instructions: * Bring 2 quarts (2 liters) salted water to boil with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil. Drop in the noodles and boil 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.

* Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt to taste, and pepper in a salad bowl. Whisk in sesame oil and 1 tablespoon sunflower oil. Season with ginger and coriander.

* Wash and trim the vegetables. Peel the carrots and cut them and the zucchini into matchsticks. Slice open the leek lengthwise, wash well, and cut into thin strips. Slice the scallions into thin rings. Peel and mince the garlic. Mix all into the dressing, and add the noodles.

* Wash the buckwheat in hot water and drain. Heat the remaining sunflower oil in a frying pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the sesame seeds in it about 1 minute. Roast the buckwheat about 2 minutes, stirring. Sprinkle both over the salad.

HOMEMADE BUCKWHEAT NOODLES
* SOBA are available in Japanese groceries or specialty stores.
* Make your own. For 14 ounces noodles, grind 1 scant cup each buckwheat and spelt to the fineness of flour. Knead to an elastic dough with 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Let rest, covered, about 30 minutes. Then roll out thin and cut into ribbon noodles.

MENU
* For a festive meal, start with the salad offer Rice Soup as the second course.
*stir-fried Chinese vegetables as the third.
* Finish with a salad of lichis and oranges. A semi-dry Riesling or green tea is a good beverage.

The books recipe per Serving: Calories 313 (36% from fat); 13g Total Fat; 4g Fiber [Allotted 4 maximum] (7 POINTS).

Variation: replace kasha topping with chopped peanuts.

Description: "Savory; Easy to make; appetizing"

NOTES : REVIEW - Refreshing. Usually we post share a recipe with our revisions. This time we are posting the original recipe and talking about what we did to reduce the calories from fat and some of the carbs. Used store-bought soba cooked quickly without oil in lightly salted water. Cooked the carrot along with the noodles: total 3 minutes. Drained and rinsed well. Mirin (only 2 of the 3 tbs suggested) in the dressing. We greatly reduced the amount of sesame oil to drops (no more than 1/4-tsp) - until just enough to be aromatic. Used spring onion instead of leek. Doubled the garlic. Garnished with dry-pan toasted white and mixed with black sesame seeds. Omitted the kasha topping. Tossed together and marinated in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. Added soy sauce and plum vinegar at table.
*Our revised recipe: Calories 208 (26% from fat); 7 Total Fat; 3g Fiber [Allotted 4 maximum] (4 POINTS).

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