Cold Noodle Salad with Chilli Oil

The next recipe that I will be sharing with you is a continuation from my previous dish – Chili Oil. I love making and having chilli oil in the fridge because there are so many different dishes that you can elevate with the chilli oil. Just last night, I’d put a generous dollop of it into my instant curry noodles! *slurp

But for today I will be making a Cold Noodle Salad, using wheat noodles, freshly sliced cucumbers mixed in a tangy sauce and topped with peanuts, fresh coriander (my fav!) and a blend of deliciousness!

This dish is especially light and refreshing, with a smokey, spicy kick! It only takes 20 minutes tops to come together and is best eaten on hot, sweltering days.

Instructions

I’ve got my hands on some simple dried wheat noodles and will cook them according to packet instructions and cool them under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water. Then leave the noodles in a colander to drain off the water.

I’ve some cucumbers with me that I will slice into strips. Feel free to add other vegetables such as carrots. This recipe is very much a coriander lover’s dream as it uses several stems of coriander to give this dish a beautiful aroma and flavour. Wash and dry your coriander leaves, including their tender stems.

Toast some peanuts in a dry pan until slightly golden and crush in a pestle and mortar. You do not have to crush them too finely.

I personally LOVEEE black vinegar. I love dipping dumplings in it and I keep discovering new ways to use it! In northern China, black vinegar is commonly used to season and  dress thick hand-pulled noodles, which is then served with meat, onions and other vegetables. Most people in the South though use black vinegar as part of a stock for meats such as slow braised pork ribs. So you see, there are many different ways of how you can add black vinegar into your cooking repertoire.

For this dressing, simply add some salt, sugar and finely chopped garlic and spring onion into the black vinegar and stir until the salt and sugar has dissolved.

Now, time to assemble your noodles! Place your drained wheat noodles in a large bowl and add a spoonful of sesame oil. Toss the noodles to loosen them in the oil as the noodles tend to stick together after cooling down. 

Next up, add the rest of the ingredients:
Chilli oil, start with 1 tbsp, peanuts, coriander (tear them up), cucumber strips and last but not least, your black vinegar dressing!

Depending on your desired spiciness level, you can start with a tablespoon of chilli oil and go up from there to your desired level of smokey spiciness.

The final step is to toss everything together! You will end up with a tangy, crunchy and beautifully scented noodle salad, with hints of smokiness from the chilli oil. So delicious and a perfect snack! It also accompanies grilled meats really well! So if you are organising a tabletop barbeque, make sure you’ve got this refreshing noodle salad on the table too! 

Feel free to add other ingredients that you may have such as scrambled eggs, tofu skin strips or even cooked shrimp.

I hope that you enjoy making this dish as much as I do. If you tried this recipe don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram and I’ll see you on my next blog! 

You can catch me making the recipe on my youtube channel here. 

Deliciously yours,

Mel