Updated: July 2023
Have you ever read through a recipe where the ingredients just didn’t make any sense together, but you took a chance, made it anyway, and it was awesome?
Because I’m not made of money I don’t try this out too often, but since this recipe for takeout-style sesame noodles (gift link) would only involve buying pretty cheap ingredients, I went for it. I highly recommend you do the same, especially now that it’s hotter than the fires of Hell outside with no signs of stopping, and you serve this vegetarian dish cold. It involves no actual cooking aside from boiling noodles, so it doesn’t heat up the entire house, either. It seems that, at long last, I’ve learned how to cook something that’s suitable for outdoor temperatures over 60 degrees. Hooray!
Since the first time I made this and posted this recipe in 2016, I’ve moved to somewhere much more diverse than Monmouth County, NJ. I’d been making this recipe with tahini as a substitute for years, but decided to hop on the bus near my current apartment and go to Flushing to find the real deal: sesame paste, following the original recipe the way my dad made it for me when I was in high school. The key difference is that it’s made with toasted sesame seeds, whereas tahini is made with untoasted sesame seeds. It made way more of a difference than I remember – sesame paste provides a more “sesame-y” and bold flavor, and a nicer consistency. Obviously, tahini works in a pinch, but wow, I’m never going back (which is good because sesame paste does not come in a small container – 8 oz jar or go home!)
Something that confused me in the original recipe was that it calls for “1 pound noodles, preferably fresh.” I don’t know what that means. The commenters were pissed about it, and out of an abundance of caution, I bought a pound of noodles but only cooked about 12 ounces of them (1 and a half 8 oz packages), which was the perfect amount. Cooking a full pound of noodles would make a TON and throw off the ratio.
The recipe indicates that the chili garlic paste goes right into the sauce, but because I’m a comparative wimp and so is my boyfriend, I only put in a little bit – maybe half a teaspoon. The cucumber and peanuts are a must, because they provides crunch and color in an otherwise beige meal and also make a great compliment to the chili sauce.
Cold Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 oz. lo-mein noodles
- 2 tbsp roasted sesame oil, plus a splash
- 3 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame paste
- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp chili sauce (sriracha, chili-garlic sauce, sweet chili sauce… it’s up to you)
- Peeled and seeded cucumber matchsticks (see photo), for serving
- Chopped roasted peanuts, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add noodles and cook until tender but still a little bit chewy. Depending on the type of noodles you use, this could be anywhere between 2 and 5 minutes- just keep an eye on them.
- Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil. This keeps the noodles from sticking to themselves as they cool down.
- Transfer the noodles to a bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, and garlic. If you’re choosing to add the chili-garlic sauce right into your dish, whisk it into here as well. Even though it’s made of thick, dense ingredients, it’s not really a thick sauce, so if it seems liquidy, you haven’t done anything wrong!
- Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss.
- Garnish with cucumbers and peanuts and serve.
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