Cold noodles can be the perfect recipe for a hot summer day. The secret ingredient for these noodles is cucumber. Served with a side salad it creates a tasty and satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. You can serve these noodles as the main course, as I did, or as a side dish.
Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.
Makes 2 main-course servings or 4 side-dish servings
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of cucumbers
- 12 oz of dried spaghetti noodles (or fresh Chinese egg noodles)
- 2 tbs sesame oil
- ½ cup tahini (for sesame noodles) or creamy peanut butter (for peanut noodles)
- 2 tbs sugar
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbs rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- Salt
- Hot chili oil or Tabasco sauce
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it.
- Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half and seed them (cut out the seeds). Use a grater and cut the cucumber in shreds. Set aside.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti noodles. Cook until tender but not mushy.
- While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the sesame oil, tahini or peanut butter, sugar, soy, ginger, vinegar, chili oil (to taste) and pepper in a large bowl. Thin the sauce with some of the pasta water until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream. It will take ¼ to ½ cup. Stir in the cucumbers.
- When the noodles are tender, drain and rinse them under cold water. Drain again. Add the noodles to the sauce and cucumbers. Add salt, if desired and garnish with chopped scallions.
- Serve with a crunchy chopped salad.
Recipe compliments of Home Chef and OPL CMO Amy Bates.
Learn more about Amy.
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