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Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Cold Peanut Ginger Noodles

This is a simple, streamlined version of the classic cold noodle dish. A combination of crunchy peanut butter and sesame oil gives the dressing an earthy nuttiness, which contrasts with the heat of chile crisp and tanginess of lime juice. But the real draw is a sprinkling of chopped crystallized ginger, which adds sweet-spicy chewiness amid the noodles and cucumbers. You can make this a few days in advance: It holds up very well in the fridge. Just toss well before serving since the dressing tends to pool at the bottom of the container.

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
6 servings
Prep:
0 hr 10 min
Cook:
0 hr 15 min
Total:
0 hr 25 min
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Ingredients

  1. Salt, for the pot
  2. 16 ounces Chinese egg noodles, spaghetti or linguine
  3. 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
  4. 3 tablespoons soy sauce, more as needed
  5. 2 tablespoons chile crisp, more to taste
  6. 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  7. 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
  8. 1 ½ cups thinly sliced cucumber
  9. 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
  10. 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger, more for garnish
  11. 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, more to taste
  12. Chopped cilantro or basil (optional), for serving

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain, reserving about ⅔ cup of starchy pasta water.
  2. While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, chile crisp, sesame oil and ginger. Whisk in enough of the pasta water to make a loose, smooth dressing.
  3. Add the cucumber slices to the bowl on top of the dressing, but don’t mix in. Drizzle cucumber lightly with a little more soy sauce.
  4. Add the drained pasta, scallions, crystallized ginger and lime juice to the bowl and toss well, adding more pasta water if needed to make a glossy dressing. Taste and add more chile crisp, soy sauce and lime juice as needed. Top with cilantro and extra ginger if you like, then serve.