Chinese
Sesame Noodles
Noodles tossed with soy, tahini, vinegar, and sesame oil, then cucumber and green onion. A cold-or-warm dinner that does not need a long sauce reduction.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The sauce is stirred in a bowl while the noodles boil.
- Tahini or peanut butter both work, and the swap is written.
- Cucumber keeps it from being only soft noodles.
- It is good warm, and fine cold the next day.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Cook the noodles in salted water until tender. Drain and rinse briefly under warm water so they do not clump.
- 2
Stir tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, and warm water until smooth.
- 3
Toss the noodles with the sauce. Add another spoon of water if it looks tight.
- 4
Fold in half the cucumber and half the green onions.
- 5
Top with the rest, plus sesame seeds.
- 6
Taste. A pinch of salt or another drop of vinegar is the usual fix.
Pro tips
- Tahini seizes when it hits cold liquid. Warm water makes it smooth.
- Do not oversalt the noodle water if the sauce is full-sodium soy.
- Toss while the noodles are warm so the sauce coats them.
Easy substitutions
- Tahini
- Peanut butter, same amount.
- Honey
- Brown sugar, 2 teaspoons.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. The noodles will absorb the sauce.
Reheating
Eat cold, or warm gently and loosen with a teaspoon of water.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 470
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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