Description
This 10-minute authentic Taiwanese cold noodles recipe features a rich and glossy sesame paste sauce combined with tender noodles, crunchy beansprouts, and fresh spring onions. The balanced flavors of toasted sesame, soy, vinegar, and garlic create a deliciously savory and slightly tangy dish perfect for a quick meal, served hot or cold with optional cucumber salad and chili oil for extra zest.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (double if using peanut butter)
- 6 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 6 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese/Taiwanese black vinegar (or rice/wine vinegar)
- 2 tsp fine sugar
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper (or a generous grind of black pepper)
Main Ingredients
- 280 g egg or buckwheat noodles (4 nests)
- 160 g beansprouts (2 handfuls)
- 4 spring onions (thinly sliced)
Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients including sesame paste, sesame oil, crushed garlic, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, and white pepper in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning for a powerful sesame flavor that is reasonably salty, with subtle sourness and sweetness in the background.
- Cook Noodles: Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Add Beansprouts: About 90 seconds before the noodles finish cooking, add the beansprouts to the boiling water to soften slightly.
- Drain and Reserve Water: Drain the noodles and beansprouts together, reserving about 150-200 ml of the cooking water.
- Loosen the Sauce: Add the reserved cooking water to the sauce mixture and stir well. This will thin the sauce and give it a glossy texture to coat the noodles nicely.
- Serve: Place the noodles and beansprouts into serving bowls and scatter the thinly sliced spring onions on top. Pour the loosened sauce over and allow diners to mix the noodles themselves.
- Optional: Enhance with a Taiwanese cucumber salad and a drizzle of chili oil such as Lee Kum Kee Chinese Chiu Chow chili oil for added flavor and spice.
Notes
- This dish delivers a hearty and satisfying meal with a thick, glossy sesame sauce.
- It can be enjoyed either hot or cold, making it versatile for different seasons and preferences.
- Adjust seasoning carefully since the sauce dilutes when mixed with noodles.
- Doubling the sesame oil is recommended if substituting peanut butter in the sauce.
- For extra spice, adding chili oil is optional but highly recommended.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 210 g)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
