Looking for a quick and easy meal? Look no further than this spicy sesame peanut butter noodle salad!
Ready in just 15 minutes, this delicious and flavour-packed dish is perfect for those hot summer days (or any kind of day) when you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Also try my lemongrass chicken vermicelli salad if you love a good noodle salad.
The combination of creamy peanut butter and nutty sesame flavours makes for a mouthwatering dressing that perfectly complements the cold egg noodles and fresh vegetables. Finished off with a drizzle of Chinese chilli oil, this vegan and vegetarian-friendly spicy peanut butter sesame noodle salad is sure to be a hit!
For more quick and easy meals, check out my spicy garlic prawn pasta, honey glazed salmon bake and chilli garlic noodles!
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Ingredients
- Egg noodles - for this recipe, fresh ramen-style egg noodles produce the best result. You can find them at Asian supermarkets in the fridge section. Usually where you find dumpling wrappers and tofu. Head on over to my Cantonese soy sauce noodles to learn about the different types of egg noodles you can buy! Substitute: Chinese wheat noodles - wide or thin, fresh or dry varieties.
- Peanut butter - I prefer to use smooth peanut butter so that the sauce for the egg noodles is nice and creamy. If you've only got crunchy peanut butter, I'd recommend using an extra tablespoon.
- Chinese sesame paste - toasted sesame seeds ground into a paste. Like natural peanut butter, mix well before use. Although similar, the flavour profile is noticeably different to the Middle Eastern version, tahini. More on this below.
- Chinese black vinegar - offers more than just acidity, it adds depth and complexity. A generous dash of this vinegar can take the flavour profile of this peanut butter noodle salad to a whole new level! A good enough substitute is rice wine vinegar.
- Chinese chilli oil - I'm a huge advocate for homemade Chinese chilli oil. The reason is simple; it is without a doubt, way more aromatic than store-bought alternatives! Plus, you can adjust the spiciness to your liking by choosing the type of chilli powder you use.
Chinese sesame paste vs Tahini
Both are ground-up sesame with the biggest difference being it's flavour profile.
Chinese sesame paste is stronger and nuttier in flavour and darker in colour. This is because it's roasted until very nutty and aromatic and uses a combination of both white and black sesame seeds. I find the ones produced in Taiwan quite superior with its flavour as it also contains ground-up peanuts.
Tahini, on the other hand, uses lightly toasted and hulled white sesame seeds. As such, it's flavour-profile is milder and smoother in texture. Note, there is a black tahini variety which uses, as the name suggests, black sesame seeds.
Cooking instructions
One of the great things about this peanut buttery cold sesame noodle salad? Active cook time required: 3 minutes for the noodles!
Refreshing, satisfying, quick and easy!
Prepare the ingredients
To start, wash and cut the vegetables.
For the cucumber, I find it easiest to thinly slice them at an angle and then cut them into sticks. Refrain from cutting the cucumber sticks too thin as they'll break easily.
As for the carrot, as thin as possible! So thinly slice at an angle then thinly cut into matchsticks.
Tip: use a sharp knife and curl finger tips of your other hand inwards so you don't cut yourself! A sharp knife is so much easier to cut with.
Finely chop coriander (cilantro) and mince fresh garlic.
To make the creamy sesame peanut butter sauce for the noodles, combine smooth peanut butter, Chinese sesame paste, soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, salt and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
Mix well until smooth and creamy. As you can see below in the picture marked #3, the sauce will look split at first. Don't worry, keep mixing and it'll turn nice and creamy like images #4 and #5!
Add ¼ cup of cold water to the creamy sauce to help loosen it up for the noodle salad!
Finally, add minced garlic, mix and set aside.
Now, cook noodles according to its packet instructions. Usually, it takes about 3 minutes on high heat.
Once the noodles are cooked, immediately drain them in a colander and rinse the noodles under cold tap water.
Rinsing and tossing noodles under cold water does a few things: 1) stops the cooking process and thus keeps the texture at a perfect level of 'QQ' (bounciness) and 2) stops the noodles from sticking together.
This is the same technique used in my popular Chinese pork mince noodles to keep the texture of the noodles nice and bouncy!
Bringing it together
Now it's time to bring this all together!
In a large salad bowl or a mixing bowl, combine cold noodles, cucumber, carrots, peanut butter sesame sauce, coriander and Chinese chilli oil.
Give it a good toss, and add a splash or two of cold water to help loosen everything up. About ¼ cup is good.
When tossing, I like to use a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a spatula/wooden spoon in the other.
That's it! Refreshing, spicy peanut butter sesame noodle salad done in 15 minutes!
To make this cold peanut sesame noodle dish a little more substantial, top it with a couple of boiled eggs or shredded chicken.
Useful tips and tricks
- When rinsing the noodles under cold water - use your (clean!) hand to toss the noodles under the water. This thoroughly eliminates the excess starch from the surface of the noodles and thus prevents them from sticking together.
- Use a mandoline to cut the carrots - nice and handy, for days when even cutting is too much! I have not tried using a mandoline to cut the cucumber as it might turn into mush as the middle is quite watery.
- Taste and adjust to taste once everything is mixed - you might find you want it to be a little spicier (add more chilli oil) or saltier (add a little more salt or soy sauce).
FAQs
Yes! You can make the sauce, cut the vegetables in advance and then simply cook the noodles on the day. See the instructions below for details.
Approximately 580 calories for a large portion.
Short answer is yes, why not! Cooking is all about making it your own and sometimes, making do with what you've got. However, Chinese sesame paste has a more intense and nuttier flavour profile than tahini thus the flavour may be a little more mild but still delicious.
Storage and making ahead
Storage: I would recommend this noodle salad to be eaten on the day, like any salad. Salads just don't taste that great the next day once mixed with a dressing/sauce.
Make ahead: great news! This spicy peanut butter noodle salad is suitable to be made ahead! With a few caveats.
Things to prepare ahead:
- Creamy peanut butter sesame sauce - can be made well in advance, and lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
- Carrots, cucumber, coriander - cut and store in airtight containers for up to 2 days in the fridge.
- Chinese chilli oil - once made, lasts up to 6 months stored in a tight jar in the fridge. Of course, you can just use the store-bought variety.
The only thing you need to do when you want to eat this is to cook the noodles, rinse them under cold water and mix them with the prepped ingredients. That's it!
You can store cooked and rinsed noodles for 3 to 5 in the fridge. However, the noodles will lose their satisfying 'QQ' aka bouncy texture even the very next day. Thus, I recommend cooking the noodles just before serving for best results.
Made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts or questions by dropping a note in the comments section below.
I'd love to hear from you. 🙂
- Gen
📖 Recipe
Spicy Sesame Peanut Butter Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 300 g (10 oz) fresh egg noodles ramen style. Substitute: wheat noodles, soba noodles
- 1 cucumber cut into thick matchsticks
- 1 carrot cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup coriander finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Chinese chilli oil optional
Peanut butter sesame sauce
- 1½ tablespoon Chinese sesame paste mix oil in before use, (note 1) for tahini as substitute
- 1½ tablespoon smooth peanut butter if using crunchy peanut butter, use 2½ tbsp
- 1½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoon Chinese black vinegar substitute: rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar brown or white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt or adjust to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Cook fresh egg noodles according to packet instructions, usually about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water in a colander. Set aside.
- To make the creamy peanut butter sesame sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well until creamy. Mix in ¼ cup of cold water to loosen the sauce.
- In a large salad bowl, combine drained cold noodles, cucumber, carrot, coriander, peanut butter sesame sauce and chilli oil.
- Add a splash of cold water, up to ¼ cup and toss well until well combined and serve immediately.
Notes
- Creamy peanut butter sesame sauce - can be made well in advance, lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
- Carrots, cucumber, coriander - cut and store in airtight containers for up to 2 days in the fridge.
- Chinese chilli oil - once made, lasts up to 6 months stored in a tight jar in the fridge. Of course, you can just use the store-bought variety.
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