Cold Noodle Salad Sesame-Ginger (Printable Version)

Asian-inspired chilled noodles with crisp vegetables and zesty sesame-ginger dressing for a light, fresh 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, 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

# Method:

01 - Boil noodles following package directions, then drain and rinse under cold water until fully cooled.
02 - Julienne carrot and cucumber, thinly slice bell pepper and spring onions, shred cabbage, and chop cilantro; set aside.
03 - Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, grated ginger, minced garlic, optional Sriracha, and sesame seeds until emulsified.
04 - In a large bowl, toss cooled noodles with all vegetables and chopped cilantro, then pour dressing over and mix thoroughly to coat evenly.
05 - Distribute salad into serving bowls, garnish with roasted peanuts or cashews and extra sesame seeds before serving.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 hour to enhance flavors.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal prep when you need an excuse to stay out of the kitchen.
  • The sesame-ginger dressing is so addictive you'll find yourself making extra just to drizzle over other things.
  • It comes together in 30 minutes, leaving you time to actually enjoy your day instead of cooking.
02 -
  • The dressing needs to be balanced while cold, because cold dulls flavors—it should taste slightly more aggressive than you think is right, or the finished salad will be boring.
  • If you're making this ahead, store the noodles and vegetables separately from the dressing and only combine them a few hours before serving, or the noodles absorb all the liquid and the vegetables wilt.
03 -
  • Toast your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes if you haven't already—this takes five minutes and tastes infinitely better than store-bought toasted seeds.
  • Make the dressing the night before if you're bringing this somewhere; flavors meld overnight and you'll have one less thing to do the morning of.
Return