Description
This authentic Taiwanese cold noodles recipe delivers a quick and flavorful dish featuring a rich sesame sauce, tender noodles, and crunchy beansprouts. Ready in just 10 minutes, it’s perfect for a refreshing meal with a balance of savory, nutty, and subtly tangy flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (double if using peanut butter)
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 6 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese/Taiwanese black vinegar (or rice vinegar/wine vinegar as substitute)
- 2 tsp fine sugar
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper (or a generous grind of black pepper)
Noodle Ingredients
- 280 g egg or buckwheat noodles (4 nests)
- 160 g beansprouts (2 handfuls)
- 4 spring onions (thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, thoroughly mix the Chinese sesame paste, sesame oil, crushed garlic, light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, salt, and ground white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning ensuring the sauce has a strong sesame flavor, moderate saltiness, and subtle background sourness and sweetness.
- Cook noodles and beansprouts: Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the noodles and cook per the package instructions. Add the beansprouts to the boiling water 90 seconds before the noodles finish cooking.
- Drain and reserve water: Drain the noodles and beansprouts in a colander, preserving 150-200ml of the cooking water.
- Loosen the sauce: Gradually stir the reserved cooking water into the sauce until it becomes lighter in color and has a glossy, pourable consistency that will coat the noodles well.
- Assemble and serve: Place the noodles and beansprouts in serving bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced spring onions. Pour the loosened sauce on top. Serve immediately, allowing diners to mix the dish themselves. Optional accompaniments include Taiwanese cucumber salad and chili oil, such as Lee Kum Kee Chinese Chiu Chow chili oil.
Notes
- The sesame paste-based sauce is hearty, thick, and glossy, providing a rich sesame flavor with balanced seasoning.
- This dish can be served hot or cold depending on preference.
- Doubling the sesame oil is recommended if substituting peanut butter for sesame paste to maintain flavor balance.
- The reserved noodle cooking water helps adjust sauce consistency and shine.
- Serving with cucumber salad and chili oil enhances freshness and spice levels.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 410 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
