Creamy, slightly spicy and an epic vegetarian dinner, this cold sesame noodle salad combines gluten-free rice noodles, smashed cucumbers, and a tahini sesame dressing. It’s a vegetarian pasta salad that is a fan favorite from my cookbook and a regular dish on my weeknight rotation!
When you’re writing a cookbook, one of the many (many!!) hard parts is deciding which recipes to add to your photography shot list. For various reasons, often some of my favorite recipes don’t make the cut in my books. This cod fish stew was a no-photo winner from my SIBO book! And such was the case with CARBIVORE and this cold sesame noodle salad, despite it being one of the dishes I make the most for a quick dinner.
It’s one of my favorite non-Italian gluten-free pasta salads thanks to the rice noodles (which cook in under 7 minutes) and two very special components: the spicy sesame dressing and the smashed cucumbers.
The first element—the sesame dressing—is one of my favorite condiments for dipping summer rolls. But it is also a perfect nut-free variation on another lazy weeknight dinner du jour: gluten-free peanut noodles.
It’s a similar concept (rice noodles, cucumbers, creamy sauce), but takes even less time as there’s no ginger or garlic (and therefore no need for a food processor). Instead, the stand out ingredient here is the gochugaru, which is a mild Korean chili flake usually used in kimchi. This is my favorite brand. If you can’t find it, simply substitute ¼ teaspoon regular red chili flakes (they are much spicier!).
Cold Sesame Noodle Salad: Step by Step
Both the beauty of gochugaru, the trick of using tahini for a creamy sesame dressing, and the technique for smashing cucumbers with the back of a knife, I learned from Hetty McKinnon’s book To Asia, with Love, which is a must-buy for Chinese-influenced vegetarian cooking.
The watery, crunchy cukes get all the more jagged, allowing a creamy sauce to cling to all the rough edges. In Hetty’s version (and this one), that dressing is a creamy combination of tahini, sesame oil, and mild Korean chili flakes. Once her cucumber salad became a constant companion to our weeknight meals, I started tossing it with rice noodles to make a complete dinner.
Dietary restrictions and adaptations
This recipe is already dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian, but to make it low FODMAP, simply only use green scallions. That’s it! It’s a great low FODMAP vegetarian dinner option.
More gluten-free sesame recipes:
- Ginger-Sesame Meatballs
- Gluten-Free Sesame Chicken Stir Fry
- Sesame-Ginger Roasted Carrots
- Cold Sesame Soba Noodle Salad
- Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry
Read on for this cold sesame noodle salad recipe, and if you love it as much as I do, pick up a copy of CARBIVORE for more delicious healthy noodle dishes (and potatoes and grains and more!).
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
15-Minute Cold Sesame Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- Sea salt
- 8 ounces rice noodles pad Thai–style, vermicelli, or spaghetti in a pinch
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 4 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers about 12 ounces
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Chili crisp (optional)
- Optional toppings: chopped kimchi sliced radishes, sliced snap peas, shredded purple cabbage, smoked tofu, or shredded rotisserie chicken
For the sesame dressing:
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (see headnote)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain, then run the noodles under cold water
- until cooled to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the oil to coat.
- Meanwhile, on a clean work surface, trim off the ends from the cucumbers and halve them lengthwise. Turn each half cut-side down and place a large knife flat against the cucumber. Using your hand, smash the knife so the cucumber cracks open through the center into two pieces.
- Using the back of your knife, whack the cucumber logs at a 45-degree angle into bite-size pieces. Alternatively, slice them or break apart into pieces with your hands. Transfer
- to a medium bowl and toss the cucumbers with ½ teaspoon salt.
- Make the Spicy Sesame Dressing: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the tahini, vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, sesame seeds, gochugaru, and salt. Add 2 tablespoons water and whisk until smooth and the consistency of ranch dressing. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt or spice, as needed. (dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.)
- Add half the dressing to the noodles and toss to coat. Arrange the noodles on a platter and top with the cucumbers, scallions, sesame seeds, chili crisp (if using), and any optional toppings you like. Serve with the remaining sesame dressing on the side.