Chilled Noodle Salad
This Chilled Noodle Salad is a quick and healthy meal after a hard day at work. It takes about 20 minutes from start to the table (excluding the amount of time it takes searching the cupboards for the ingredients).
The cooking time for the pasta is about 8 mins (included in above time estimate). For the noodles you can use almost anything. This recipes suggest spaghetti, spaghettini (a thinner version of spaghetti), or vermicelli. Even rice vermicelli noodles could be used as well.
The measurements in the Ingredients list allows for 4 servings, but that depends on how much your family eats of course. 🙂
Ingredients:
1 pkg (340 g) Spaghettini (I have use spaghetti or even vermicelli to get the same results – I prefer the vermicelli)
2 cups (500 ml) snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup (250 ml) shelled edamame
1 small English cucumber
2 cups (500 ml) Napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup (250 ml) red pepper, cut into match sticks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 ml) black sesame seeds
Ginger-Wasabi Dressing:
1/4 cup (60 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp (45 ml) canola oil
2 Tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
wasabi paste to taste (start with a teaspoon and work your way up). I use Namida 100% Pure Wasabi Powder mixed with cold water to make this paste. Don’t use the stuff out of a tube because it doesn’t contain any wasabi, but does contain non-healthy stuff – see “Is your Wasabi really colored horseradish?“)
Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.
2. In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into Julienne strips.
4. Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste. Make sure the wasabi paste is well mixed.
5. Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, Napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions and avocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.
6. Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.
Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.
Note:
This dressing can be kept in the refrigerator until required. We have stored it for more than a fortnight, but that is unusual because it is normally all gone within a few days of making a batch. 🙂
Just make sure you give it a good shake before you use it.
Legend
Tbsp = Tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
1 cup = 250 ml
gms = grams (1000 gms = 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs))