Cold Sesame Noodles With Sweet Peppers

Name: Cold Sesame Noodles With Sweet Peppers
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons tahini (a runny variety if possible, available in Middle Eastern markets); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar; 1 to 2 teaspoons hot red pepper oil (to taste); Pinch of cayenne (optional); 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger juice (see below); Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth or water (more to taste); 3/4 pound udon or soba noodles; 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil; 1 yellow or red pepper, cut in thin 2-inch strips; 1 Persian cucumber or 1/3 European cucumber, cut in 2-inch julienne; 1 medium-size ripe tomato, diced; 1 cup chopped cilantro; 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallions; 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 4(241)
Notes: Read community notes

This mildly spicy dish requires minimal cooking, so it's great for a hot day. Both udon and soba noodles will work in this dish.

Featured in: On Hot Days, Cold Noodles Are a Welcome Choice

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6

For the Dressing

3tablespoons tahini (a runny variety if possible, available in Middle Eastern markets)
1tablespoon soy sauce
2tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 to 2teaspoons hot red pepper oil (to taste)
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
2teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger juice (see below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1tablespoon sesame oil
¼cup vegetable or chicken broth or water (more to taste)

For the Salad

¾pound udon or soba noodles
1tablespoon dark sesame oil
1yellow or red pepper, cut in thin 2-inch strips
1Persian cucumber or ⅓ European cucumber, cut in 2-inch julienne
1medium-size ripe tomato, diced
1cup chopped cilantro
¼cup chopped chives or scallions
1tablespoon black sesame seeds

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
For ginger juice, grate a 1-inch piece of ginger. Wrap in a piece of cheesecloth, twist both ends of the cheesecloth and, holding the package over a bowl, wring out so that the juice is squeezed through the cheesecloth into the bowl.
Step 2
In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. You can make it spicier if desired.
Step 3
Cook the noodles. I like to cook wheat udon and soba the Japanese way. Bring 3 or 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the noodles gradually, so that the water remains at a boil, and stir once with a long-handled spoon or pasta fork so that they don’t stick together. Wait for the water to come back up to a rolling boil — it will bubble up, so don’t fill the pot all the way — and add 1 cup of cold water. Allow the water to come back to a rolling boil, and add another cup of cold water. Allow the water to come to a boil one more time, and add a third cup of water. When the water comes to a boil again, the noodles should be cooked through. Drain and toss with1 tablespoon sesame oil.
Step 4
Combine the noodles, pepper, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, chives or scallions and black sesame seeds in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve. The salad can also be refrigerated for a few hours before serving. In this case add half the cilantro now and the rest just before serving.

Tip

Advance preparation: The noodles can be cooked up to 3 days ahead. Make sure to toss them with the oil. The prepared salad will keep for a day in the refrigerator. The dressing will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. You may need to thin it out before using.

Ratings

4 out of 5

241 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

April6 years ago

I know it says salad, but I was home alone and wanted something quick and easy. I had everything in my fridge. I did make it a bit spicer and I didn't make the ginger juice, just used chopped ginger. I added fresh parsley and some chopped fresh basil. Ready in no time ate it warm. the next day I had the rest cold for lunch. Delicious. This could be a stand by I will use a lot.

judy6 years ago

To make ginger juice: I usually freeze my ginger root because I use so little at a time. Defrost and squeeze. There's your juice.

Ellen6 years ago

I used peanut butter instead of tahini, added a few more vegetables; julienned carrot, radish half moons. Also added some thinly sliced baked tofu to up the protein for a vegetarian main dish. Topped it off with crushed peanuts. A very good recipe and accommodating to revisions.

Julie4 years ago

It may not be traditional, but breaking the noodles in half before cooking allows the vegetables to penetrate. Otherwise, you get a tangled mess of noodles with vegetables on the top and sides.

hamack3 months ago

Love this quick recipe for a hot day! The tahini I got is extremely bitter and thick so I added a teeny bit of maple syrup to the mix and it balanced it out wonderfully.

katycarlock2 years ago

I love this- we add cucumbers for crunch and sometimes matchstick carrots or whatever needs using in the veggie drawer, my toddlers like crushed peanuts on top for extra crunch, and I have also topped with fried shaved garlic for a summer party and it was a hit! Cold shrimp w leftovers also toddler fave! I love flexible recipes like this:)

Wes4 years ago

Added shiitake mushrooms sautéed with garlic, doubled the cucumber to the veggie mix. Used my garlic press to crush lots of ginger into the sauce. Cooked my soba noodles in my big (outdoor) crawfish pot to keep my kitchen cool.

Meg4 years ago

I doubled the sauce as suggested by other reviewers. We ended up needing a little more than 1.5x the original amount. I subbed sriacha for chili oil and added about 1 tablespoon of sugar to mellow the saltiness. I added a good deal of lime juice. I threw in an assortment of toppings we had from the fridge - shiitake, sweet peppers, broccoli, and tofu. It was easy to put together and tasty. The instructions for udon worked well for me.

Julie4 years ago

It may not be traditional, but breaking the noodles in half before cooking allows the vegetables to penetrate. Otherwise, you get a tangled mess of noodles with vegetables on the top and sides.

renate5 years ago

I forgot to add the ginger, didn't add the sesame oil, added hot water and hot pepper flakes. It was still excellent. used a package of pre-cooked rice noodles. added thinly sliced cucumbers, watercress and parsley.

Anika5 years ago

Another outstanding recipe from Martha Rose Shulman! Agree with rpbg: Double the dressing and add to your liking. Regarding the cooking method: I yielded fantastic results for me. I wasn't paying 100% attention and added 2 cups instead of one cup of water each time it came to a boil..it worked beautifully. The noodles are soft, yet with a bit of bite and hold their texture over several days. This will be my go-to method for cooking soba!

rpbg5 years ago

Really delicious as written. I did find though, that after tossing the noodles in the dressing, much was left bare. So I made the dressing recipe again and added more. I suggest doubling the dressing recipe from the start, and if any happens to remain, the dressing is so good you'll find other uses for it with no problem. Also, for the seasoned rice vinegar I used a dark seasoned vinegar which I'd had on hand from a chinese grocery. It made a big difference over plain supermarket rice vinegar.

Westerner6 years ago

I weighed out the buckwheat soba noodles: 3 bunches were 9.6 oz., just shy of 3/4 lb. Cooked to perfection. Tossed with the veggies and sauce and added tofu. Chilled in the fridge. What emerged was a huge bland wad. Where to start with suggestions? Halve the noodles and cilantro, double the sauce, toss in more veggies, add lime and sambal oelek, maybe fish sauce. Doubt I'll make again. This was one of the worst NYT recipe fails I've experienced.

Wray6 years ago

I've made this a couple of times to good reviews. Cilantro tastes awful to me, so I used basil. Have also made a version substituting peanut butter for the tahini and changing up the spices a bit.

A twist that folks really like--I got one of those OXO Spiralizers as a gift--it makes long spaghetti-like "noodles" out of raw zucchini, cucumbers, etc.

With those cold "noodles", you don't have to cook anything, and the cool, crisp veggies are soothing on a hot day.

Paul Mansfield6 years ago

Great combination of flavors. I'll pass on the cucumber though. Too easily overpowers the sesame. Flash chilled the noodles with ice in water. Definitely prefer this cold. And it's more fused in flavor the next day.

karla6 years ago

Delicious. But made a few changes:
1. micrograted the ginger
2. pan roasted red onions and pepper strips
3. pan roasted shrimp
4. added basil
5. served with lots of lime slices at the table

Yummm! will add it to the roster