Cold Sesame Noodles

Name: Cold Sesame Noodles
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: China / United States
Ingredients: 5 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or tahini, stirred well; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, or rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar or honey; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 15 g (½ in piece) fresh ginger, grated; 2 tbsp Chili Crisp, or chili oil, to taste; 4 tbsp warm water, as needed; 400 g (14 oz) fresh wheat noodles, or 300 g dried, any medium thickness; 1 cucumber, cut in thin matchsticks; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Chewy noodles in a nutty, tangy, garlicky sauce — ready in fifteen minutes

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 15 min
Level: Easy

A cool, savory noodle dish for hot days and quick lunches: noodles tossed in a sauce of sesame paste, soy, black vinegar and chili oil, topped with crisp cucumber. It is just as good eaten straight from the fridge the next day.

Ingredients

Sauce

5 tbspChinese sesame paste or tahinistirred well
3 tbsplight soy sauce
2 tbspChinkiang black vinegaror rice vinegar
1 tbspsugar or honey
1 tbsptoasted sesame oil
2 clovesgarlicgrated
15 gfresh ginger (½ in piece)grated
2 tbspChili Crispor chili oil, to taste
4 tbspwarm wateras needed

Noodles

400 gfresh wheat noodles (14 oz)or 300 g dried, any medium thickness
1cucumbercut in thin matchsticks
3scallionsthinly sliced
1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds

Diet: Vegetarian, Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten, soy, sesame, sulphites
Origin: China / United States (Chinese-American)
Season: Summer

Method

Whisk the sesame paste, soy, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chili crisp. Whisk in warm water a spoonful at a time until the sauce is the thickness of heavy cream. Taste: it should be nutty, salty and tangy.
Cook the noodles in unsalted boiling water according to the packet. 4 min
Drain and rinse under cold running water until completely cool, then shake dry.
Toss the noodles with the sauce. Top with cucumber, scallions and sesame seeds.

Why it works

Rinsing in cold water removes surface starch so the noodles stay separate and keep their chew when cold. Sesame paste is very thick and oily; whisking in water a little at a time forms a creamy emulsion rather than a split, greasy sauce.

Common mistakes

Sauce too thick: it clumps on cold noodles. Thin it more than you think.

Variations

With chicken: Top with 300 g shredded poached chicken.
Peanut version: Use smooth peanut butter instead of sesame paste for a sweeter, more American take (adds peanut).