Cold Sesame Noodles
"I have combined and adapted several recipes to come up with this one. It is a great summer dish. I often cook it for a potluck because it is simple to make and always gets good reviews. It is also a robust recipe— you can change the proportions of the ingredients tremendously and still get something that tastes good. You can usually find the egg noodles in the freezer in an oriental food store."
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chinese egg noodles (or linguini) cooked according to package directions, to al dente.
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts
- 1 bunch scallions chopped
- 1 cucumber peeled and sliced into small pieces
- cilantro for garnish optional
Optional additions
- snow peas or sugar snap peas
- red/orange/yellow pepper diced
- small broccoli florets blanched
- 2 cups bean sprouts (add just before serving)
Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted peanut butter (preferably natural)
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp dark Chinese-style sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp hot chili oil (or substitute with ½ tsp cayenne pepper) CAREFUL!
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 inch piece ginger grated
Alternative Sauce
- A shake of Tamari soy sauce
- A shake of dark Chinese-style Sesame oil
- Store-bought Peanut Sauce such as Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce (amount to taste)
Instructions
- Add the noodles to a large pot of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente. Drain.
Sauce
- Put the peanut butter and tahini in a saucepan and heat slowly until melted. Add soy sauce, oils, vinegar and ginger. Add water in small quantities till you get a smooth paste that is about as viscous as honey. Cool.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix thoroughly.
Alternative Sauce
- Add a shake or two of Tamari soy sauce, and sesame oil to the noodles. Then add some of the Peanut Sauce, to taste, and mix thoroughly.
Finalize
- Add peanuts and mix into the noodles and sauce mixture.
- Garnish noodles and sauce with scallions and sliced cucumbers, peas, bell peppers, broccoli (if using), mix in, and chill for an hour before serving.
- Add bean sprouts (if using) on top, at the last minute, before serving.
