COLD SESAME NOODLES WITH CRUNCHY VEGETABLES

Cold Sesame Noodles With Crunchy Vegetables image

The ingredients for this cold noodle dish can be prepared ahead of time, leaving nothing more to do in the morning before work than to assemble the noodles and vegetables and dress them with sesame oil, soy, tahini, ginger and a few other things. Prepare for lunchtime deliciousness.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories easy, lunch, quick, main course

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

Salt
4 cups chopped fresh crunchy raw vegetables: snow peas, bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions
12 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles or long pasta like linguine
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 cup tahini, peanut butter or a combination
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon rice or white wine or other vinegar
Hot sesame oil or Tabasco sauce to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Prepare the vegetables: trim, seed, peel as necessary and cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve in a container until ready to use.
Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. When they're done, rinse in cold water, then toss with a little sesame oil. Store in one or more containers.
Whisk together the sesame oil and tahini, sugar, soy, ginger, vinegar, hot oil and pepper in a large bowl. Thin the sauce with hot water until it's about the consistency of heavy cream; you will need 1/4 to 1/2 cup per serving; store as desired.
When you're ready to eat, toss a portion of the noodles and a portion of the vegetables; top with sauce and stir to coat.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 672, UnsaturatedFat 21 grams, Carbohydrate 88 grams, Fat 28 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 21 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 686 milligrams, Sugar 14 grams, TransFat 0 grams