By Hetty McKinnon
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(649)
- Notes
- Read community notes
For a summertime update on a beloved Chinese dish, cold sesame noodles are freshened up with crisp cucumbers, raw corn and aromatic basil. The minimalism of the three-ingredient sesame dressing belies its complex flavor. It brings together three flavor-dense condiments: chile crisp, sesame oil and sesame paste. Available from Asian grocery stores (or online), Chinese or Japanese sesame paste is similar to tahini. It is made from toasted sesame seeds, so the finish is darker, nuttier and stronger. If you can’t get a hold of sesame paste, substitute with smooth peanut butter or tahini. The noodle choice here is flexible to make space for those with dietary restrictions; use any type of thick rice or wheat noodle.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Salt
- 10ounces dried thick rice or wheat noodles
- 4Persian cucumbers (about 11 ounces)
- ¼cup Chinese or Japanese sesame paste or tahini
- 4teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 4 to 6teaspoons chile crisp (to your taste), plus more for serving
- 2ears corn, kernels removed (about 2 cups of kernels)
- Toasted white sesame seeds, to serve
- Handful of basil leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
462 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 515 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again.
Step
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Halve cucumbers lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out the seeds and discard. Cut cucumber into thin strips.
Step
3
Make the sesame sauce: Place the sesame paste into a bowl and add the sesame oil and chile crisp. Add ¼ cup of water and whisk until smooth and pourable. If the sauce is too thick, add another splash of water, until the sauce feels loose enough to coat the noodles. (The sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead, but it will thicken up over time. To loosen it up, whisk with a tablespoon or two of water.)
Step
4
Place the noodles into a large bowl and add the sesame sauce, cucumber and corn. Toss to coat the noodles.
Step
5
To serve, top with sesame seeds, basil leaves and a few drops of chile crisp.
Ratings
4
out of 5
649
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Sejo
Tried it and it’s very underwhelming. Need more acidity, more sweetness, and a lot more flavor…..
Daphne
Added soy sauceSugarFish sauce
carena
Raw corn? Or cooked?
CQ
It's a crispy oniony spicy oily condiment. You can follow the link in the recipe to make your own, or find it at Trader Joe's if you have one in your area.
FQ
Found this a bit bland so added lime juice, minced ginger, ponzu sauce and some mint and cilantro. Very tasty. Problem with corn and long noodles is that all the corn ends up at the bottom of your bowl ….
chicagoan
I second the comment about needing salt. A teaspoon of soy sauce made a big difference.
zooey
Very good! Easy, simple, light, refreshing. I added green onion, yellow bell pepper, and some other veggies that needed to get eaten in my fridge.
Becca
Heeded warnings of blandness. Added soy sauce, a small amount of rice vinegar and honey to the dressing and made about 1.5x the listed recipe. Added a bell pepper, two scallions, more basil and an equal amount of mint. Also roasted the corn on the grill to get some char. We really enjoyed it as jazzed up!
Jane
In the list of ingredients chile crisp is underlined, click on it and you are taken to the recipe for chile crisp.
moi
Needs salt and spice. Ridiculously bland as it currently stands.
Lisa
this recipe is definitely missing salt, add a bunch
Max Alexander, Rome
Raw corn. Corn doesn't really need cooking.
Karen
If it doesn't say to cook the corn, don't cook it. Not odd.
Mike
Feels like this recipe is missing a step or two. It's a great base though. Definitely needs a salty component (soy sauce, fish sauce, msg). I'll definitely make it again though. I might add some rice wine vinegar and maybe a touch of sugar.
Rosemary
Just looking at the recipe, like other VG suggestions, I would use soba (buckwheat) noodles not too thick (the sauce noodle ratio more flavorful) & add julianned carrots & cucumbers. Sauce: add a little grated ginger plus low sodium tamari, almond butter w/ tahini, apple cider vinegar & seasame oil use cold water to thin out. Can add a little heat with a sprinkle of diced chili peppers or red pepper flakes. All to taste!
Imane
Like others mentioned, adding soy sauce, minced ginger, and more of all the other seasonings make this so good!
Claire
Followed suggestions and added rice vinegar, coconut aminos and hot honey chili crunch to sesame sauce. Also added generous hot honey chili crunch plus Trader Joe’s chili onion crunch at end. Generous amount of basil charred corn. Delicious.
Anna
Made it before with tahini, and just made it again with Taiwanese toasted sesame paste. WOW, what a difference! Its worth hunting down!
Matt H
The chili crisp recipe asks for 1/3 cup red-pepper flakes! Way too much. Otherwise, a nice receipe.
EJ
I added soy sauce, hoisin, and apple cider vinegar. I misread the recipe and used 4 tablespoons of chile crisp instead of 4 teaspoons, but this turned out to be a great mistake. Lots of good spice! I agree this is bland without some additives, but it's easy to make delicious.
catrina
I should have heeded advice of other commenters. Even with suggested tweaks the sauce is incredibly bland
SGG
Needs so much doctoring it’s hard to consider it the same recipe once you’re done. If you don’t like the sauce, you won’t like the final dish. Adjust with plenty of soy sauce / fish sauce / oyster sauce / rice wine vinegar / lime (whatever you have on hand) and then add plenty of salt as well.
Grumps
Salt, acid, flavors.I don’t get how this has 4 stars. Leftovers aren’t worth saving.
JS
Added soy sauce and lime juice to the noodle sauce - those were great adds! Would recommend adding salt as well. Used cilantro instead of basil, which was a yummy swap. Would recommend cooking the corn before cutting kernels off to enhance the sweetness of the corn. Definitely a quick and satisfying dish to put together and impressive served up to a group on a platter.
kels
Very bland, unfortunately. After tasting the sauce it was screaming for a hit of lime juice or some other acid, but I didn't have much on hand. Even with heavily salting the (soba buckwheat!) noodles, it tasted like nothing and lacked texture. Either it needs a lot of doctoring, or I'd skip it.
Julie
Yep, needs salt. Next time, I’ll add soy sauce to the dressing - just added salt to taste this time. Topped with some leftover grilled chicken; it made a great addition.
Erika
I agree that despite being spicy, it was boring. I took others' advice and added sugar and rice wine vinegar. I should have added a bit of soy sauce also. and maybe more veggies?
Sam
Added a good amount of chile crisp, squeezed a lime, and added a few tsp of soy sauce to the dressing. Cilantro instead of basil. It was delicious!
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