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Asian Noodles Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

When the hot days of summer are here, I bring out this Asian Noodles Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce. It's a fast and easy recipe. I used lo mein noodles and slices of fresh, chilled vegetables. I even had char-grilled ribs to go on top of the salad, and served this with sides of corn on the cob. Serve this as a starter, side or entrée any day. The recipe for the Spicy Peanut Dressing was from the cookbook ‘Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors’ by Robin Donovan (Quirk Books). This salad serves 2.
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: Cold Asian Noodles Salad
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 448kcal
Author: Asian in America

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/8 cup Tamari sauce or a low sodium soy sauce
  • 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup ginger ale or substitute with 7-Up; or use water
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 8 ounces fresh lo mein noodles pre-boiled, (about 2 cups when cooked), from Asian markets lo mein noodles (yellow egg noodles)
  • 1 whole medium-sized cucumber peeled, sliced
  • 1 whole large tomato sliced in wedges
  • 1 cup blanched fresh baby spinach
  • 1 stalk scallions chopped, for garnish
  • 1-2 pieces grilled pork ribs already cooked, for top of salad (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sliced red or green bell peppers sliced, seeds removed, for garnish

Instructions

  • To make the Spicy Peanut Sauce : In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients – peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, ginger ale (or water). Blend well. Keep refrigerated in a covered container (for up to 1 week) till ready to use. This recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce for the salad.
  • Prepare the lo mein noodles : Add the noodles to a medium pot filled with boiling water. Cook for about 40 seconds in the rapidly bubbling water. Remove the noodles and drain to remove excess water. Set the noodles aside.
  • Using the same boiling water and medium pot, add the spinach leaves. Blanch for 10 seconds, remove from water and drain. Set them aside to dry.
  • To assemble salad: When noodles have cooled down, pour half a cup first of the Spicy Peanut Sauce. Blend sauce well to incorporate within the noodles. Add a little more and keep blending within the noodles, being careful not to break the noodles in half.
  • To the salad, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach. Pour the rest of the spicy peanut sauce to the salad. Top with grilled rib pieces if desired. Garnish with scallions and red bell peppers all over. Chill salad in refrigerator till ready to eat.
  • Cook’s comments: I buy the pre-boiled, soft, yellow Chinese egg noodles from the Asian supermarket for soups, stir-fry dishes or salads like this one. It comes in a 16 oz pack and it lasts for a week or 2 refrigerated. If lo mein noodles are not available, use cooked spaghetti noodles, the same amount for this recipe. You can be creative and add other chilled vegetables to the salad.
  • Recipe Notes: The original recipe for the peanut dressing in the cookbook used regular soy sauce. I opted to use the low-sodium variety because the peanut butter was salty to begin with. Feel free to use regular soy sauce if that is what is convenient.

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    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 208IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg