Recipe
Spicy Takeout Noodles with Asian Spinach Salad
You can turn the spice up or down in this recipe depending on the amount of chili-garlic sauce you use. The combination of the savory noodles with the Asian salad is, well, perfect!
Prep all the ingredients for both the noodles and the salad before cooking the noodles, because the dish comes together very quickly.
Overview
I think these two dishes should get married. Seiously, the next time I make this, I’m going to dress the salad and put it on top of the noodles.
Ingredients for the Noodles
½ pound pasta—Chinese egg noodles are great, but spaghetti is fine
1 ½ tablespoons finely grated ginger or 1 ½ tsp ground
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon (or more) minced garlic
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon (or more) chili garlic paste
3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini butter
Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin 2” long sticks
2 tablespoons peanut butter
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5-7 minutes. They should still be al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, return to the pot, and toss with a little sesame oil.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together everything except the cucumber and peanuts.
Step 3
Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. If needed, add just a bit of the reserved pasta water.
Step 4
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cucumber and peanuts. Serve immediately.
Ingredients for the Salad
6-8 oz baby spinach
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3-4 Mandarin oranges, peeled, sectioned, and cleaned of pith
1 small red onion, sliced thin and then cut into 2” pieces
For the Viniagrette
Juice of 2 oranges, 1 lemon, and 1 lime to make about ¼ to 1/3 cup juice. (It’s fine to use whatever citrus you have. If you use bottled juice, you may need to add a bit of sugar.)
½ tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds
¼ cup olive oil
Salad Instructions
Making Vinaigrette
I usually make vinaigrettes in the blender. I know it’s not romantic, but it’s a huge time-saver. If you don’t have a blender, do it the old-fashioned way: stir together everything except the oil. Then grab a whisk and whisk the mixture as you slowly incorporate the oil. You should use this method if using an immersion blender, as well.
To do it in a blender, put it all into a small blender cup and whiz it on high for about 15-20 seconds.
Assemble the salad and drizzle dressing over the salad. Label and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Spicy Takeout Noodles with Asian Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- ½ - pound pasta—Chinese egg noodles are best but spaghetti is fine
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini butter
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated ginger or 1 ½ tsp ground
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon or more chili garlic paste
- Half a cucumber peeled, seeded, and cut into thin 2” long sticks
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5-7 minutes. They should still be al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, return to the pot, and toss with a little sesame oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together everything except the cucumber and peanuts.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. If needed, add just a bit of the reserved pasta water.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cucumber and peanuts. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Asian Spinach Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 6-8 oz baby spinach
- 3-4 Mandarin oranges peeled, sectioned, and cleaned of pith
- 1 small red onion sliced thin and then cut into 2” pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup orange, lemon, and/or lime juice (It’s fine to use whatever citrus you have. If you use bottled juice, you may need to add a bit of sugar.)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger or grated fresh ginger
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- I usually make vinaigrettes in the blender. I know it’s not romantic, but it’s a huge time-saver. If you don’t have a blender, do it the old-fashioned way: stir together everything except the oil. Then grab a whisk and whisk the mixture as you slowly incorporate the oil. You should use this method if using an immersion blender, as well.
- To do it in a blender, put it all into a small blender cup and whiz it on high for about 15-20 seconds.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad. Label and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.