Spicy Vegan Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style
Noodles, pasta, whatever you call it, might be the greatest food humans have ever invented. From warm noodle soup, to gooey mac n cheese, to spicy cold noodles, there’s no getting around the fact that pasta is great. These spicy noodles are made similarly to a Sichuan style favorite of mine, are cool, spicy, and flavor-filled. They are also really simple to make- with just noodles, scallions, garlic, peanuts, and a no cook sauce, they can be thrown together in minutes and enjoyed. They make a perfect lunch, and are great to take for an outdoor picnic! I can’t wait for a day at the beach with spicy cold noodles, Sichuan-style!
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Cold Noodles for Hot Weather
As the summer starts approaching, I start looking for more cold and filling meals. While I don’t necessarily need to go no-cook, I don’t normally want to eat hot foods. Dishes like hearty salads, wraps, and gazpacho hold a strong appeal, and these cold noodles are right at home in my summer repertoire. After I made these for the first time, I instantly thought about what a good picnic food they’d be. Right now my go-to meal for the great outdoors is sandwich rolls and a batch of my vegan jackfruit tuna, along with something like a caprese salad. But I’ve brought that particular option to enough outdoor outings that it’ll be good to shake things up a bit. These cold noodles are not particularly perishable, so they should be totally fine spending an afternoon in the outdoors, and the sauce can easily be packed separately and mixed on site.
Chili Oil and Chinese Red Pepper- It’s Spicy Noodle Time
Spicy noodles wouldn’t be spicy without some great chili-based ingredients. The bulk of the spicy flavor on these Sichuan-style noodles comes from the chili oil, which is more or less exactly what it sounds like. A spicy, chili-infused, bright red oil that carries a lot of flavor. I used about 5 tablespoons for this recipe, which makes up the bulk of the sauce. The other little bit if spice I added besides the chili oil was about 1/2 a teaspoon of Chinese or Sichuan red pepper. Chinese red pepper has a similar effect to cloves, in acts to mildly numb your tongue as you eat it. Since I didn’t add very much of the red pepper, the effect is slight and only comes along occasionally, but the tinge of numbing pepper really adds to the feel of this dish. If you can’t find Sichuan red pepper, you can just do without. They’ll still be delicious cold spicy noodles!
Looking to spice up your life? Try one of these other spicy foods!
- Ooey-Gooey Baked Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
- Spicy Garlic Roasted Chickpeas Snack
- Spicy Chinese-Style Stir-fried Sweet Potatoes
- Crown Daisy Pasta in Spicy Almond Sauce
- Spicy Korean Radish Salad
One-Bowl Wonder- Making these Cold Noodles
These cold noodles are super easy to make, and don’t take long to finish! The noodles are quickly cooked (depending on the noodles you use, this could be from 2-8 minutes or so), and then drained and tossed in a little sesame oil to prevent sticking. From that point, you simply wait for the noodles to cool down. You can do this at room temperature, or in the fridge if you prefer. The final step is to add all the ingredients together and toss. It’s better if you don’t let the sauce sit on the noodles for too long (the noodles may absorb some of the sauce), so if you’re making this to go you may want to bring the sauce in a separate container from the noodles and toppings. Happy spicy cold noodle making!
Spicy Vegan Cold Noodles, Sichuan Style
Ingredients
- 8 oz. noodles (to help prevent sticking, look for noodles where baking soda is an ingredient)
- ½ tsp. sesame oil
- 4-5 TBSP. chili oil
- 4 tsp. soy sauce
- 4 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 2 tsp. sesame paste
- 1½ tsp. agave nectar
- ½ tsp. Chinese red pepper
- 1-2 scallions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Small handful of peanuts, chopped finely.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add noodles. Cook for a couple minutes, until just cooked, then drain and add sesame oil and toss. Allow the noodles to cool until they reach room temperature (you can do this in the refrigerator if your house is warm or you’re in a rush).
- Add the chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, agave and red pepper to a bowl and mix. Right before you’re ready to eat, add the chili sauce, scallions, garlic and peanuts on top of the noodles. Toss and enjoy!
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Let’s hear from you…
- What are some of your favorite cold noodle dishes?
- Do you think spicy noodles would make a good picnic food, or is it too messy? Or is being messy part of the experience?
- What other recipes do you have for chili oil? Or is it a new ingredient for you?
Share your thoughts in the comments below
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