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    Home » Recipes » 10 Minute Meals

    Published: May 3, 2021 · Modified: Jul 22, 2021 by Julia · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Peanut Sesame Cold Noodles

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Summers in Shanghai are blistering hot. Even as someone who loves a piping hot bowl of noodles on any given day, those couple of months were unbearable. If I was craving noodles, my mom would make peanut sesame cold noodles (花生芝麻凉面) to quell those needs. This recipe only requires a quick mix of a variety of delicious sauces, boiling thin noodles quickly and rinsing them under cold water, and adding a bit of crunch with julienned vegetables.

    With the peanut butter and sesame paste as the base of the sauce, we rarely ate this with any other side dishes because it is so filling. A quick 10-minute meal for lunch or a speedy weekday dinner, this recipe is great when temperatures run high, and you want something easy, refreshing, and filling.

    Ingredients for peanut sesame cold noodles

    • Handful of whole wheat noodles: I like to use the thin variety because they cook a lot faster. However, this sauce goes great with thick, curly noodles as they adhere to the surface. More sauce appreciation!
    • Creamy, natural peanut butter
    • Sesame paste: You can find these at any Asian grocery store, usually where you would also find the other condiments and sauces such as soy sauce and vinegar. If you don't have sesame paste, you can also sub with equal parts tahini.
    • Soy sauce: we usually use the low sodium variety
    • Oyster sauce
    • Black vinegar
    • Miran - if you don't have miran, you can sub with some rice vinegar with a teaspoon of granulated sugar
    • Water

    Optional Toppings

    • White sesame seeds
    • Julienned cucumber
    • Chopped purple and green cabbage
    • Julienned carrots

    Instructions for peanut sesame cold noodles recipe

    1. Mix together sauce ingredients, put peanut butter and sesame paste in a bowl first. Then add oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin* and black vinegar to thin out the paste. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to get the sauce to a thinner consistency.

      *Use rice vinegar and sugar to sub for mirin

    2. Boil a pot of water and cook thin noodles for 6-8 minutes depending on package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Rinsing the noodles under cold water will help keep them nice, springy, and chewy. This also helps keep them from getting lumpy and from sticking together.

    3. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss so the sauce covers all the noodle surface!

    4. Julienne cucumbers and carrots to serve over the noodles for extra crunch. If you're looking for an easier way, I sometimes have a pack of chopped lettuce and toss it over the noodles in lieu of prepping the vegetables myself. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

    Frequently asked questions

    What type of peanut butter should I use?

    Ideally, you'll use smooth peanut butter. We typically have the natural kind at home, but you are free to use the conventional kind of at home. When I'm in a crunch and only have crunchy peanut butter, I also use those and it still adds a nice texture with the peanut bits!

    What type of noodles should I use?

    I would recommend using a thin, straight wheat-based noodle such as Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles or somen. However, some people prefer thicker, curly noodles which also works great with this sauce!

    Looking for more noodle dishes?

    Try my Korean vegan jajangmyeon (black bean noodle) recipe or vegetarian japchae (stir-fry glass noodles) for a wide variety of the best type of carbs!

    sesame peanut noodles
    Print Pin
    5 from 14 votes

    Peanut Sesame Cold Noodles

    A delicious, creamy peanut sesame sauce coating chewy noodles for a delicious cool summer dish.
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Chinese
    Prep Time 1 minute
    Cook Time 6 minutes
    Total Time 7 minutes
    Servings 2
    Author Julia

    Ingredients

    • 1 handful whole wheat noodles
    • 20 g creamy natural peanut butter
    • ½ tablespoon sesame paste
    • 10 g low sodium soy sauce
    • 5 g oyster sauce
    • 10 g black vinegar
    • 5 g miran (sub with rice vinegar and sugar)
    • 2-3 tablespoon water

    Optional Toppings

    • 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
    • ½ cucumbers (julienned)
    • ½ carrots (julienned)

    Instructions

    • Mix together sauce ingredients, put peanut butter and sesame paste in a bowl first. Then add oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin and black vinegar to thin out the paste. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to get the sauce to a thinner consistency.
    • Boil a pot of water and cook thin noodles for 6-8 minutes depending on package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
    • Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss so the sauce covers all the noodle surface.
    • Julienne cucumbers and carrots to serve over the noodles for extra crunch. Sprinkle on white sesame seeds.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. NATALIA says

      May 04, 2021 at 1:17 pm

      I love noodle recipes a lot and this sounds like one I would really like. I will be trying it in the next few days, I can't resist recipes with pasta and veggies! Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Maddie says

      May 05, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds so refreshing for lunch on a hot summer day. I'm really looking forward to trying out this recipe! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    3. Debra says

      May 05, 2021 at 2:50 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and delish. THe perfect summer recipe.

      Reply
    4. Gina Hoskins says

      May 05, 2021 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      You are speaking my language as I LOVE peanut butter in savory dishes! Lovely recipe!

      Reply
    5. Natalie says

      May 06, 2021 at 6:57 am

      5 stars
      Oh yum! What a delicious easy lunch idea. I love this! I'm saving this on my list to try. Can't wait to make it.

      Reply
    6. Kim Guzman says

      May 06, 2021 at 9:01 am

      5 stars
      Wow, what a delicious lunch. I never thought about combining these ingredients but this was incredible and I'm going to have more today. Yum!

      Reply
    7. Freya says

      May 06, 2021 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      Yum! These look delicious but are so quick and easy!

      Reply
    8. Audrey says

      May 06, 2021 at 11:21 am

      5 stars
      This was great for lunch!

      Reply
    9. Lara says

      May 06, 2021 at 11:57 am

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe... serve with some chicken satay! Delicious leftovers.

      Reply
    10. Raquel says

      May 06, 2021 at 12:59 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious and so easy for a nice picnic or barbecue salad. Will make again!!

      Reply
    11. Leslie says

      May 06, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe and so perfect for a quick lunch or dinner! Everything you could want in an easy recipe!

      Reply
    12. Sondra says

      May 06, 2021 at 1:36 pm

      I love this. The peanut sesame blends perfectly with the cold noodles!

      Reply
    13. Ramona says

      May 07, 2021 at 5:36 am

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe! Will be making it again.

      Reply
    14. Debbie says

      May 08, 2021 at 5:03 am

      5 stars
      Sometimes a simple recipe is the best and this is the case with these cold noodles. This is my new go to lunch!

      Reply
    15. Sangita says

      May 08, 2021 at 10:39 pm

      5 stars
      Love this cold noodles recipe. Perfect for a hot summer day meal.

      Reply
    16. Anna says

      May 21, 2021 at 3:33 am

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner last night and it was sooo good! Quick and easy recipe, perfect when you short of time, but still want tasty meal.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm J! I'm a marketer by day, food photographer and recipe-tester by any other time available. The Floured Camera was born from my need to make quick, delicious, and (sometimes) healthy dishes for when I'm craving my favorite Asian childhood dishes!

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