Sesame Peanut Cold Soba Noodle

To keep going with my China style weekend, I present to you some summer food.  Sesame peanut cold noodle is something quite popular all over the world.  I don't often have noodles cold..I'm one that likes to eat steaming hot, though certain things are best enjoyed at room temperature or just above warm.  Cold noodle salads at bbqs are something I usually avoid all together.  This tasty tangy noodle salad may change my mind on the subject.  I think my aversion to cold pasta and potato salad came from the fact that it is usually drenched in mayonnaise.  Drench it in a sesame peanut sauce with some spice, crunch, and tang? I'm sold...

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

3 portions soba noodles

1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 bok choy, leaves removed and sliced horizontally stem to leaf

3 handfuls chopped scallions

1 handful chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp black/white sesame seeds

1 handful paneer cubes (or tofu if you must)

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp sesame paste (tahini)

1 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp water

2 Tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Garnish:

Crushed peanuts

Directions

1.  Cook the soba in a large quantity of water according to the package instructions.  Mine were done in 3 minutes.  Drain, rinse in cold water and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

2.  In a large salad bowl, place the drained cooked soba, then the rest of the salad composition.

3.  Make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients.

At this point you can either do a family salad toss (heehee) or serve the dressing on the side so each person can adjust the dosage.

I opted for the individual salad toss.

This was a very pleasant refreshing meal which went quite well with the Jaozi.  I'm not really used to eating noodles cold, but this may be the dish that makes me change my mind...