Cold sesame noodles
Chewy noodles in a rich tahini and soy sauce with a little chili, tossed with crisp cucumber and edamame, a vegan cold noodle lunch that’s even better the next day.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.84 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: It’s ready in 25 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1½ cups frozen shelled edamame
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp water, warm
Each serving has about 470 calories, 19 g protein, 61 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $1.84 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No spaghetti? Fettuccine works.
- No English cucumbers? Cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a large pot of water over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Add the spaghetti and cook as the package says, adding the edamame for the last 3 minutes.
High heatTimer: 9 min
and under cold water, with your hands until the noodles are cool.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
the tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, garlic, ginger and warm water in a big bowl until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: Tahini seizes into a thick paste at first. Keep whisking and it loosens into a glossy sauce.Cut the cucumber into matchsticks and the green onions.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
the noodles and edamame in the sauce until coated, then divide among 4 containers.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Top with the cucumber, green onions and sesame seeds.
Dolly’s tip: It keeps 4 days in the fridge. If the noodles soak up the sauce, loosen them with a splash of water and soy sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop plans your lunches along with the week’s dinners, puts what you need on the same grocery list, and walks you through each step.
