Cold Noodle Salad - Pamela Morgan

This is a bomb of umami! In other words: pure delicious! You may never order in again…or at least not for a while.

Cold Noodles and Vegetable Salad

Cold Noodle Salad - Pamela Morgan

Cold Noodle Salad - Pamela Morgan

Cold Noodle & Vegetable Salad with Sesame-Soy Dressing
Cold Noodle & Vegetable Salad with Sesame-Soy Dressing
Print Recipe Cold Noodle & Vegetable Salad with Sesame-Soy Dressing
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch

Ingredients

Cold Noodle Salad

  • 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed and stringed
  • 18 ounces thin fresh linguine noodles (such as Contadina brand linguine)
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Asian dark sesame oil, from toasted seeds
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ¾ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
  • ½ pound cultivated cremini (brown) or white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • ½ pound sunflower sprouts (also called sun sprouts, or substitute regular mung bean sprouts)
  • 1 ½ cup thinly sliced green onion (1 large bunch with tender tops included)
  • Sesame-Soy Dressing, recipe follows

Sesame-Soy Dressing

  • ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • ½ cup cup soy sauce, preferably tamari 
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Asian dark sesame oil, from toasted seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed through a press
  • 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup canola oil

Instructions

Cold Noodle Salad

  • In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring them often, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet and cool. The seeds can be toasted up to 3 days ahead. Store airtight, at room temperature.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons salt. Add the snow peas and cook, stirring once or twice, until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the snow peas to a bowl of iced water. Cool completely, then drain immediately and pat dry. The snow peas can be prepared several hours in advance. Cover and hold at room temperature. 
  • Meanwhile, return the same pot of water to a boil and add another tablespoon of salt. Add the noodles, partially cover and cook according to package directions. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water, and drain again. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the sesame oil. The noodles can be prepared several hours in advance. Cover and hold at room temperature
  • In a large skillet over high heat, warm the canola oil. Add the shiitake and cremini mushrooms with ½ teaspoon of salt and cook, tossing and stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the noodles.
  • Just before serving, add the snow peas to the bowl with the noodles and mushrooms. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the salad. Toss well. Add the sprouts, green onion and 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds and toss again. Turn the salad out onto a deep serving platter. Sprinkle the remaining seeds over the salad and serve immediately. 

Sesame-Soy Dressing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the canola oil. When everything is combined, slowly drizzle in the canola oil while whisking, so the dressing does not separate.