Cold Noodle Salad Sesame-Ginger (Printable Version)

Chilled noodles and fresh vegetables tossed in a lively sesame-ginger dressing for a light and flavorful meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Noodles

01 - 8.8 oz dried soba noodles or rice noodles

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
03 - 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cucumber, seeded and julienned
05 - 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
06 - 1.8 oz red cabbage, thinly shredded
07 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Sesame-Ginger Dressing

08 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
09 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
10 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
11 - 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
12 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
13 - 1 garlic clove, minced
14 - 1 tsp Sriracha or chili sauce (optional)
15 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

→ Toppings

16 - 2 tbsp roasted peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped
17 - 1 tbsp additional sesame seeds

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
02 - Julienne carrot and cucumber, thinly slice red bell pepper and spring onions, shred red cabbage, and chop cilantro.
03 - Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, grated ginger, minced garlic, Sriracha (if using), and sesame seeds until well combined.
04 - In a large bowl, toss cooled noodles with prepared vegetables and cilantro. Pour dressing over and mix thoroughly to coat evenly.
05 - Distribute salad into serving bowls. Top with roasted peanuts or cashews and additional sesame seeds for crunch.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 hour to enhance flavors before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's ready in 30 minutes and actually tastes better if you've made it ahead and let it chill.
  • The sesame-ginger dressing is so good you'll find yourself making extra to drizzle on everything else for days.
  • It's flexible enough to eat as a light lunch or dress it up with shrimp for when guests are coming over.
02 -
  • Rinse the cooked noodles thoroughly—warm noodles coated in starch will clump together and ruin the whole thing.
  • The dressing should taste bold and slightly too salty when you taste it plain, because it gets diluted when it coats all those noodles and vegetables.
  • If you're making this more than a couple hours ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss it in just before eating so the salad doesn't get soggy.
03 -
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for about two minutes if you can—they taste incomparably better than the already-toasted ones.
  • Use a Microplane grater for the ginger and garlic so you get maximum flavor and nothing grainy or chunky sneaking into the dressing.
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