Noodle Salad

This recipe is inspired by some “Asian” noodle salad from a local market’s prepared food section. I grab it when I swing by for their house-made frozen cod cakes. I did the online search for “Asian” noodle salad, mixed and matched a few things and came up with this.

It seemed to go over well and the leftovers were as good, if not a bit better, after a couple of days rest in the fridge.

Noodle Salad
Servings: 10-12
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

• • 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon toasted sesame oil plus some to drizzle prior to serving
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. sambal oelek
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 lb thin linguine
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded carrot (I used Ginger Carrots)
  • 6 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 6 scallions, cut crosswise into thirds and thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 4 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

  Directions:

  1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a shaker jar or bowl. Shake or whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  2. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain the past and then cool it under running cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
  3. Toss dressing with the pasta until well coated. There will likely be a puddle at the bottom of the bowl; don’t sweat it. Add the carrots radishes and pepper. Toss to distribute. Cover and refrigerate for an hour (or up to 6 hours). Give the noodles a toss every 30 minutes or so.
  4. Give the noodles a final toss. Drizzle with some additional toasted sesame oil, say about 1 tablespoon. Scatter the scallions and sesame seeds over the top and serve.

  Notes:
  Sambal oelek is a spicy Southeast Asian chile sauce made from hot red chile peppers, salt and often vinegar. My megamart carries Huy Fong brand.

  If you don’t need a vegetarian dish try adding a teaspoon of fish sauce when preparing the sauce in the first step.

  Add or replace vegetables to your hearts content.

  Tongs seem to work best for grabbing a portion of the noodle salad.