To make the dressing: put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and whizz up until you have a smooth-ish consistency. It's nice to have a few visible pieces of carrot so refrain from whizzing into total oblivion. I have kept the original measurements for the dressing, so it does make about a cup in total, but it's so good you'll want to keep it for another salad or two, trust me. 

To make the salad: First put the soba noodles on to cook - according to the directions on the package. Mine never take any more than 4-5 minutes on a rapid boil. When they are cooked, immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking and set aside while draining.

Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan, watch them carefully as like any nuts they catch quickly. 

Slice the cabbage and avocado. At this point I take a quick look at the soba noodles and check that most of the water has drained off - if they still look quite wet then dab them with a paper towel to get off any excess moisture. 

Now put the soba noodles and cabbage into a bowl, add about 2 Tablespoons of the dressing (less or more if you please), sprinkle over most of the toasted sesame seeds, saving a few for sprinkling at the end. Toss the salad with a pair of kitchen tongs being careful not to tear any of the noodles. 

Serve the salad topped with the avocado, and the rest of the sesame seeds. 

Makes 2 main dish portions, or 4 side portions.