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It’s warming up in Kansas City and I’ve been craving cold sesame noodles. So I made some.
The dressing for these cold sesame chili crisp noodles lean on Chinese sesame paste loosened with a spoonful of peanut butter and a generous pour of chili crisp. It goes on Taiwanese sun-dried noodles that hold their chew cold. A jammy egg, julienned cucumber, and a shower of scallions land on top.
The whole bowl takes about 15 minutes. The dressing carries the dish and holds up at room temperature, which is exactly what I wanted out of a cold noodle bowl.
Two Things Worth Knowing
James pushed me to bloom the garlic in hot oil before mixing it into the dressing. Minced garlic stirred straight into a cold dressing tastes raw and sharp. A spoonful of hot oil poured over it does most of the work, cooking the rough edges and mellowing the bite. It also adds a layer of fat that integrates into the dressing instead of separating out.
One thing on the technique: heat more oil than you actually use. A few tablespoons in a small pot gets up to temperature easily. Spoon or pour enough hot oil over the garlic to just cover it, and leave the rest in the pot. What ends up in the dressing is the bloomed garlic and that pool of oil with it.
The noodles matter too. I used Wu-Mu Taiwanese sun-dried wide noodles for this batch, but any Taiwanese sun-dried wide noodle works. A-Sha, Hsin Tung Yang, and any Guanmiao-style brand all fit the bill. These are still instant noodles. You cook the block in boiling water the same way you would a ramen brick.
The difference is that they’re air-dried instead of fried, so the surface is rougher and grabs more dressing, and the wide curly cut holds chew when cold. A standard instant ramen brick will soften too much in the ice bath and lose its structure.
One note on the cook: the Wu-Mu package says 3 minutes, but I found 3 minutes 45 seconds gives a better texture for a cold bowl. The extra 45 seconds gets the noodles fully cooked through so they don’t taste underdone after the ice bath firms them up.
One more on the egg. I aim for a jammy yolk that breaks when the chopsticks hit it. My soft boiled egg guide has the timing and cold-shock method I use, but 6 minutes 30 seconds is the number for this bowl.
Ingredients
For the dressing
- Chinese sesame paste (Wangzhihe brand recommended)
- Creamy peanut butter
- Chili crisp (Lao Gan Ma)
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Honey
- Garlic, minced
- Neutral oil, for blooming
- Cold water, to thin
For the noodles and toppings
- Taiwanese sun-dried wide noodles (Wu-Mu or A-Sha)
- Soft boiled eggs
- Persian or English cucumber, julienned into matchsticks
- Scallions, thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Extra chili crisp, for finishing
Cold Sesame Chili Crisp Noodles
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp chili crisp
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp neutral oil, for garlic blooming; only 1 to 2 tbsp actually pours over the garlic, the rest stays in the pot
- 1 to 2 tbsp cold water, to thin
For the noodles and toppings
- 125 g Taiwanese sun-dried wide noodles, about 2 blocks
- 2 soft boiled eggs, halved
- 1 small Persian cucumber, or 1/3 English, julienned into 2-inch matchsticks (~80 g)
- 4 tbsp scallions, thinly sliced (green parts)
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp chili crisp, one per bowl
Instructions
- Soft boil 2 eggs: lower into a pot of gently simmering water for 6 minutes 30 seconds, then transfer to an ice bath. Peel and halve right before plating.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles for 3 minutes 45 seconds (45 seconds longer than the Wu-Mu package suggests gives a better texture for cold noodles). Drain, rinse under cold running water until cool, then ice bath for 30 seconds and drain well.
- Mince the garlic into a small heatproof bowl. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium high until it shimmers and just starts to smoke. Spoon enough hot oil over the garlic to just cover it (about 1 to 2 tablespoons). The rest stays in the pot.
- Shake the sesame paste jar hard before opening. Scoop into a mixing bowl with the peanut butter and stir loose. Whisk in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, chili crisp, and bloomed garlic with its oil. Thin with cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dressing pours like heavy cream.
- Toss the drained noodles with three quarters of the dressing.
- Divide the noodles between two bowls. Top each with a halved soft boiled egg, julienned cucumber, scallions, sesame seeds, and an extra spoonful of chili crisp. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Can I use tahini instead of Chinese sesame paste?
Yes. The flavor will be lighter and less roasted because tahini is made from raw or lightly toasted sesame seeds while Chinese sesame paste uses heavily roasted seeds.
What if I can’t find Taiwanese sun-dried noodles?
A-Sha noodles are the closest match and easier to find at Costco, Amazon, or larger Asian groceries. Indomie Mi Goreng works well because it’s a dry-style noodle built for non-soup preparations. Set aside the included seasoning packets for another occasion. Nongshim Chapagetti is another option, just throw out the jjajang packet.
This is the bowl I’ll be making all summer. If you try it, let me know what noodle you used as your base. I’m always looking for new ones that hold up cold.
ok this is fire. lisa you have done it again!