Sesame Is The Simple Pantry Ingredient That Can Dress Up Basic Cold Noodles
Let's face it, there are days you do not want to put a lot of effort into cooking, but you still need to eat. Cold pasta with a little toasted sesame oil will add a distinctive rich, sweet, and nutty flavor to cold, bland noodles. In fact, when it is called for in Asian cuisine, it is used to season food as opposed to cooking food because its flavor can be overwhelming.
The fact is that toasted sesame oil does much better as a supporting cast member in a marinade, sauce, or pretty much anything it is added to. Plain, cold noodles serve as the perfect canvas for this strongly flavored oil to impart all of its unique umami on them. That said, you don't need a lot and if you want to layer other ingredients to complement the toasted sesame oil, there are plenty of options.
Add veggies, nuts, and garlic
Once you have coated your cold noodles with this oil, try adding a little soy sauce, garlic, hot chili oil, tangy rice wine vinegar, or the peppery bite of scallions to the mix. All of these ingredients work well along with the toasted sesame oil, giving your dish new depths, but without completely overshadowing the toasted sesame oil.
Additionally, you can also add a little bit of color and a crunchy snap to this meal with a few veggies or some nuts. If you have any raw or leftover broccoli, peas, asparagus, red peppers, or sliced zucchini – vegetables that work well in a stir fry — they will taste delicious with your toasted sesame oil noodles. Chopped peanuts or cashews also add some nice texture to this dish. The great thing about these cold noodles is they store well in the fridge and you can add them to your kid's lunch or take a container to work for lunch at your desk.