These Cold Sichuan Noodles are ready in less than 20 minutes! The perfect amount of heat, udon noodles and crunchy fresh veggies.
I am totally in love with this cold noodle dish! There is a little bit of heat, lots of crunch from the fresh veggies, and, of course...noodles! These are ready in just 20 minutes and there are so many options to adjust the heat to taste and add more veggies. It is truly the perfect weeknight dinner or quick lunch!
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How to Make the Sauce
The sauce is actually very simple. But, with the addition of one ingredient, it goes to a whole other level. And that ingredient is sichuan peppercorns. They are a totally different kind of spicy. It is more like the type of spice you get when you eat wasabi. A tingle rather than a burn. I'm obsessed with them.
The first thing you want to do is toast the whole peppercorns in a skillet. Just add them to a dry skillet and cook over medium heat until they start to smell toasted - about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and grind the peppercorns into a powder.
Now, when you add the sichuan pepper powder to the sauce, start with less - especially if you've never tried it before. Start with ½ a teaspoon and work your way up. I ended up using about 1 ½ teaspoons and my noodles had a good amount of heat.
The sauce is just a combo of the peppercorns, soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Combine it and set aside.
How to Assemble
I decided to use dry udon noodles for this recipe. These noodles cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them so they don't overcook. Drain them and rinse under cold water. Add the cooled noodles to a bowl with the sauce and toss to coat.
Transfer the noodles to bowls or plates and now it is time to add the veggies. I topped my noodles with purple cabbage and green onions. But, trust me, you have SO MANY options when it comes to adding more veggies to these noodles. You could add spinach, carrots, green cabbage, mushrooms. Use up what you have in the fridge!
I love making a batch of these noodles and keeping them in the fridge for a quick lunch. They are simple, delicious and completely adaptable.
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Did you Make this Recipe?
If you made these Cold Sichuan Noodles I would LOVE to hear what you thought. Be sure to drop a comment and a rating below! You can also tag me on social media if you snapped a photo. I LOVE seeing your recreations!
📖 Recipe
Cold Sichuan Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 8 ounces dry udon noodles
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds plus more for serving
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- ¼ head purple cabbage thinly sliced
- 4 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Add the sichuan peppercorns to a dry pan over medium heat. Cook, shaking the pan regularly until the peppercorns start to toast. Transfer to a mortar and pestle (or an electric spice grinder) and grind into a powder.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and cook until al dente.* Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, agave, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger and sichuan powder (to taste)** to a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Combine the cold noodles and sauce in a bowl and toss to combine.
- Transfer to plates and top with cabbage, green onions and more sesame seeds. If there is any leftover sauce in the bottom of the noodle bowl, drizzle it over the noodles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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