FARGO — These Cold and Crunchy Spicy Noodles offer a perfect balance of cool heat to help counter these hot summer days.
This is the perfect side dish to enjoy with grilled meats, like last week’s Hoisin and Honey Grilled Chicken Tenders ; it also works well with fish and seafood dishes. Boasting a variety of crispy green vegetables and a pleasing kick of spicy heat, these noodles are just what we need for a refreshing and delicious summer cool-down.
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When creating this recipe, I sought to include crunchy veggies that would hold up well over time, including cucumbers, cabbage, sugar snap peas and scallions. The vegetables are chopped into pieces small enough to easily pick up with the pasta, but bigger than “bite-size” pieces to retain their crunchy texture. Once chopped, I toss the vegetables with half of the vinaigrette to enhance their texture and infuse them with terrific flavor.
I use spaghetti for this recipe, but any long noodles will work. The pasta is cooked until al dente and then immediately rinsed under cold water to stop the cooking process. Next, I toss the noodles with the remaining half of the dressing, which is a simple blend of rice wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, garlic, ground ginger, chili garlic sauce and seasoning.
Chili garlic sauce is a new favorite of mine for adding spicy heat to a dish, and you can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores or at your local Asian food market, where you will find a wide variety available. This chunky blend of hot peppers and garlic is more complex in flavor than other hot sauces like Tabasco or Sriracha, and its chunky texture makes it stand out in a dish rather than being absorbed into it.
The amount of chili garlic sauce in this recipe yields a very (very) mild heat, which is perfect for the two spice wimps I live with, but this amount can be adjusted as desired — I make a big batch of mild noodles and then add more to my individual serving (because I am not a spice wimp). If you do not have or cannot find chili garlic sauce, you can use a combination of crushed red pepper flakes and minced garlic, instead.
This is a simple dish that can be served immediately after it is made, but it is at its best when made in advance and refrigerated for several hours or even up to two days before serving. This resting period improves the texture of the raw vegetables and allows time for the flavors to marry. The cold noodles are delicious on Day One, but they are so much better on Days Two and Three. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled as needed, and you can adjust the amount of each ingredient to suit your taste.
Bright, refreshing and delicious for days, these Cold and Crunchy Spicy Noodles are the perfect dish to help you stay cool this summer.
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Sarah’s Cold and Crunchy Spicy Noodles
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 mini cucumbers or 2 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced on the bias into half-inch pieces
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts sliced on the bias into 1-inch pieces, dark green parts finely chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or crushed red pepper flakes (this is very mild, add more to increase heat)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 pound spaghetti or other long noodle
Directions: Place the cucumbers, cabbage, sugar snap peas and scallion pieces (the white and light green parts) in a large bowl and toss gently to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce (more for extra heat). Add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; stir, taste and adjust flavors as desired.
Pour half of the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss until well combined. Marinate at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain and immediately rinse the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the spaghetti to a large bowl and toss with the remaining half of the vinaigrette. Garnish with the finely chopped dark green scallion parts and serve immediately or refrigerate for 4 to 5 days.
Add the pickled vegetables and any excess liquid to the pasta and toss until well combined. Serve immediately but best when refrigerated overnight. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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