Cold Sesame Noodles
October 3, 2023
Chinese Main Dishes Noodles Recipes
These Cold Sesame Noodles are perfect during the warm summer heat! They’re creamy, spicy, and so delicious with lots of sesame paste, chili oil, and a touch of Chinese black vinegar and sugar to balance it all out.
You can eat these sesame noodles hot or cold, but to be honest, I’ve always preferred them cold. They’re incredibly delicious and come together in about 10 minutes!
Watch the Cold Sesame Noodles Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for Cold Sesame Noodles
This recipe only calls for a few ingredients to make delicious Cold Soba Noodles! Here is what you’ll need:
- Dried noodles
- Chinese Sesame Paste
- Light Soy Sauce
- Chinese Black Vinegar
- Chili Oil
- Water
- Garlic
- Reserved Noodle Cooking water
I always like to garnish mine with freshly chopped scallion, crushed peanuts and extra chili oil!
These are the wheat noodles I used – the brand is Wu-Mu and they are thin noodles that are perfect for soaking up this sauce. I found them at my local 99 ranch.
Ingredient Tips
INGREDIENTS TIPS
DRIED WHEAT NOODLES
The photo above shows the exact type of wheat noodles I’m using. They are a taiwanese brand called Wu-Mu and they make these thin noodles that are perfect for this recipe. I found these at my local 99 ranch.
CHILI OIL
You can add as much or as little as you like here! I have a homemade version that I make all the time. You can find the recipe here.
SESAME PASTE
I used Chinese Sesame Paste for this recipe but you can substitute with equal parts creamy peanut butter. The brand I used is below!
LIGHT vs. DARK SOY SAUCE
Yes, they’re different! Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and sweeter (as well as has a higher sodium content) than regular soy sauce. If you do not have dark soy sauce on hand, you can substitute with oyster sauce.
Cold Sesame Noodles: Recipe Instructions
To begin, take a bowl or jar and combine the sesame paste, light soy sauce, chinese black vinegar, sugar, chili oil, water, and grated garlic. Stir or shake until the sauce is combined and smooth!
You can keep this in a jar for about a week in the refrigerator – perfect for making noodles in no time! Just make sure the jar is in an air tight container like this one.
Finally, boil your noodles according to package directions. Drain them then rinse under cold water to remove any excess starch and drain them well. If you want to eat this dish hot, you can skip this step.
RECIPE TIPS
SHOCK NOODLES IN COLD WATER
If you are eating Cold Sesame Noodles, it is imperative to stop the noodles from cooking once boiled, so run them under cold water or shock them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process! Otherwise, your noodles will continue to cook and then become mushy. If enjoying the noodles hot, simply mix them into the sauce
GARNISH
You can garnish your noodles with freshly chopped scallions, crushed peanuts and sliced cucumber!
Cold Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried noodles
- 1/2 cup reserved noodle cooking water
Spicy Sesame Sauce
- 1/4 cup chinese sesame paste
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp chili oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 cloves garlic grated
Garnish
- 2 scallions chopped
- cucumber thinly sliced
- crushed peanuts
Instructions
- In a bowl or jar, mix together sesame paste, light soy sauce, chinese black vinegar, sugar, chili oil, water and grated garlic. Mix until combined and the sauce is smooth.
- Cook noodles according to package directions, reserving about 1/2 cup of noodle cooking water. If you want to enjoy this dish hot, transfer them directly to the sauce. If eating the dish cold, rinse under cold water and drain well.
- Once the noodles are mixed with the sauce, use the reserved noodle cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed.
- Garnish with scallions, sliced cucumber, and crushed peanuts!
Was so delicious and creamy and nutty
I’m impressed!
This is a great recipe to make on a hot day! I loved all the flavors and will definitely make again.
I like to make these cold noodles for my Mom. She just loves cold somen noodles so I use buckwheat noodles in this recipe. Soo good!
This is my go to recipe when I need to cook dinner. It’s so good that I’ve almost got it memorised