Cold Miso-Sesame Noodles - Cooking TV Recipes

Cold Miso-Sesame Noodles

This recipe for cold miso-sesame noodles yields about 10 cups, which is...generous for four people. Fortunately, cold noodles like these make a killer next-day lunch, no reheating necessary. (Then again, if you eat noodles like we do, leftovers aren't really an issue.)

Author: The Chef

Cuisine: American

Recipe type: Main dish

Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 Fresno chile
4 Persian cucumbers
4 scallions
3 limes
½ cup mild miso
4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
4 tsp. light brown sugar
1 large garlic clove
⅓ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 lb. spaghetti or thin wheat noodles
Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Instructions

Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. When water starts to steam, toss in a small handful of salt.
While you wait for the water, do some of your prep: Cut 1 chile in half lengthwise. Using your hands, pull out and remove stem and white ribs; discard. Tap out and discard any seeds, then finely chop chile. (Make sure to wash your hands with plenty of soap and hot water after handling chiles, or at least don’t rub your eyes!)
Cut 4 cucumbers in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into ¼"-thick half-moons.
Thinly slice 4 scallions.
Cut 2 limes in half. Using a citrus reamer (or fork if you don’t have a reamer), juice limes into a small liquid measuring cup until you have ¼ cup; discard seeds. Cut remaining 1 lime into wedges; set aside for serving.
Whisk ½ cup miso, 4 tsp. sesame oil, 4 tsp. brown sugar, and ¼ cup lime juice in a large bowl until smooth.
Finely grate 1 garlic clove into bowl and whisk to combine.
Whisking constantly, slowly stream in ⅓ cup grapeseed oil until dressing is smooth and thick. Whisk in water 1 Tbsp. at a time until dressing is the consistency of heavy cream (it’ll likely take about 2 Tbsp.).
When water is boiling vigorously, add 1 lb. pasta to pot and stir with tongs to prevent sticking. Cook according to package instructions.
Drain noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and remove any starch. Drain thoroughly, shaking off excess water, then add to bowl with sauce.
Toss noodles to coat in sauce, then add chile, cucumbers, and scallions. Season with more salt to taste and toss again to distribute.
Divide noodles among plates. Top with toasted sesame seeds and serve with reserved lime wedges alongside.
Do Ahead: Noodles can be made several hours ahead. They tend to soak up a lot of the sauce as they sit, so if you want to make the day before, hold back half of sauce, cover, and chill. Toss with reserved sauce before serving.