Cold Noodle Salad Sesame-Ginger (Printer-friendly)

Chilled noodles with fresh vegetables and vibrant sesame-ginger dressing, perfect for warm weather meals.

# 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, finely 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

# Directions:

01 - Boil noodles following package directions, drain, then rinse under cold water and set aside to cool completely.
02 - Julienne carrot and cucumber, thinly slice red bell pepper and spring onions, shred red cabbage, and chop cilantro; set aside.
03 - Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey, grated ginger, minced garlic, optional Sriracha, and sesame seeds in a bowl; whisk until smooth.
04 - In a large bowl, mix cooled noodles, prepared vegetables, and cilantro. Pour dressing over and toss thoroughly to coat.
05 - Divide salad into serving bowls. Sprinkle with roasted nuts and additional sesame seeds.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 hour to enhance flavors.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you're eating within the hour and not heating up your kitchen.
  • The combination of textures—chewy noodles, crisp vegetables, crunchy nuts—keeps every bite interesting without requiring any special techniques.
  • You can prep everything ahead and toss it together when hunger strikes, making it ideal for meal planning or unexpected guests.
02 -
  • Don't skip the ice bath for the noodles—warm noodles turn to mush when they hit the dressing, and you've worked too hard to let that happen.
  • The dressing should taste slightly intense on its own because it's meant to coat and flavor the noodles, not blend invisibly into them like a background note.
03 -
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2-3 minutes if you have them raw—the difference in flavor is startling and worth the extra minute of attention.
  • Grate your ginger on a microplane rather than with a box grater; the finer pieces distribute more evenly and the texture feels less fibrous in the dressing.
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