Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce
I'm not sure how cold noodles with sesame sauce came to be, but when I first discovered them as a kid I was in love. Sweet and deeply satisfying, cold noodles with sesame sauce make a great protein packed vegan entree or appetizer for breafast, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 oz Dried Lo Mein or Other Wheat Noodle
- 2 TBS Tahini
- 1/2 C Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Yandu (optional) (see note)
- 3/4 tsp Sesame Oil
- 2 TBS Light Brown Sugar
- 1 TBS Soy
- 3 TBS Rice Vinegar
- 3/4 C Cold Water plus as needed
- Salt to Taste
- Optional Sauce ingredients: Ginger, Sambal, Sriracha
- Optional Topping Ingredients: Thinly sliced bell pepper, romaine lettuce or napa cabbage, celery, carrots, peeled broccoli stem, kimchi, roasted or fried mushrooms, furikake, toasted sesame seeds, bean sprouts...
Instructions
- Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, rinse in cold water until cool, drain again and reserve.
- Combine sauce ingredients add water as needed to reach a pourable but still thick consistency. Note that the mixture will look a little separated when you add water but just keep stirring and it will come back together. The recipe will make more sauce than is needed for the amount of noodles listed.
- To serve: Toss chilled noodles with a generous amount of sauce, approximately 1 1/2 cups and top with any of the suggested topping items listed above.
Notes
1. Yandu is a vegan flavor enhancer (aka umami bomb) made in Korea. It adds tons of flavor to anything from sauces and marinades to salad dressing.
2. The extra sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for grilled meats or summer rolls. I also love to turn it into a marinade for chicken, pork, firm fish like Mahi or Sword or Tofu. To make a marinade, combine 1/2 C of peanut sauce, 3 TBS tamarind concentrate, juice of 1/2 a lime, 2 TBS chopped cilantro and some extra grated ginger and garlic.
Sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Do not freeze.