This recipe is an entry in the JSL Foods Fortune Asian Noodle Blogger Recipe Challenge. Samples of JSL Asian Noodles were provided for use in my entry. The recipe and product opinions are, as always, my own.
The summer of the cold noodle salad continues, and I’m not complaining. As I wrote back in July, cold noodle salads are an awesome hot weather meal and can make life so much easier.
That’s been no more true than this past week when it’s been so incredibly hot in the Berkshires (and most other places). This cold noodle salad emphasizes the “cold” part of it’s name: I didn’t even have to boil water on the stove to make it. The vegetables are raw, which means not only do you not have to turn on any heating implements, but they stay crunchy which is an awesome contrast to the noodles.
In general, I don’t purchase a lot of instant noodles, but they’ve definitely made multiple appearances in my pantry over the past few months. Early in my pregnancy especially I had some serious ramen noodle cravings. Everyone knows that instant noodles can contain tons of sodium and chemicals, but this recipe gets around most of that by not using the flavoring packet. Instead, I made my own flavoring sauce with ingredients I already had in my pantry. The result is a flavorful, fresh cold noodle salad that mingles Asian flavors and fresh farmers’ market vegetables.
I didn’t set out to only use green and yellow vegetables in this recipe, but they grabbed my attention at the market and work so well here. I love the bright colors and the fact that all of the vegetables I used were local and fresh. Not finding these vegetables at your market? No worries! They’re all easy to find at the supermarket and, though they won’t be crunchy, you can even use frozen broccoli and corn.
This cold noodle salad combines an Asian-style sauce with instant noodles and lots of fresh seasonal vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I always use low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- One 2-serving package of instant noodles (I used JSL Foods Yakisoba Hot & Spicy Stir Fry Noodles) - discard the seasoning packet
- 1 green onion, white and green parts thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of corn kernels, removed from one ear of corn on the cob
- 1/2 cup green and/or yellow beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup of cucumber, quartered (about 1 small cucumber)
- 1/2 cup chopped broccoli
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package directions but without the seasoning packet - you are making plain noodles. I combined my Yakisoba Hot & Spicy Stir Fry Noodles with 1/2 cup water and microwaved them for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Other instant noodles may be cooked in the microwave or made using boiling water. Regardless of method, cook the noodles and drain any excess liquid.
- Combine the noodles, sauce and vegetables in a medium bowl. Toss well so that all the noodles and vegetables are coated with sauce. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the noodle salad is cooled through.
- Serve and enjoy! This cold noodle salad will keep for a couple days in the refrigerator and the vegetables will keep some of their crunch.
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