Cold Udon Noodle Salad

Ever since I read about this Cold Udon Noodle Salad on Jess's blog, My Own Bell Jar, I have been absolutely dying to try it.  It looked so refreshing and light.  Plus it will satisfy my Thai taste-buds in a big way.  I am such a sucker for Thai Peanut Sauce and noodles.  She tells about a basic recipe she made up, so I used it as my inspiration and flew with it.  It turned out so amazing, I can not stop eating it!!!  I think I quite possibly have a new addiction!  It is hands down one of my new favorite foods.  Thank you so much Jess for this wonderful recipe!  I am in love :)

Today I did a lot of shortcuts.  I wanted a fast dish that I didn't need to think about too much.  I let my grocery store be my friend today.  This version of my recipe will show you this route.  Next time I will adapt it to be completely from scratch.


Click {here} for the Thai Peanut Sauce from scratch.

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Cold Udon Noodle Salad
1 Package Thick Udon Noodles, cooked according to package directions, then chilled
1/2 jar Thai Peanut Sauce or follow the directions {here} for a homemade version
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
Red Chili Flakes, to taste
The meat from one prepared rotisserie chicken, sliced thin
2 cups carrots sticks, julienned (I bought the bag in the produce aisle all prepped for me already)
2 cups cucumber, julienned
2 cups cabbage, shredded (again, I used the coleslaw bag in the produce department)
4 green onions sliced
2 cups Sugar Snap Peas (these didn't look good at the store, so I didn't add them this time)
2 cups bean sprouts (can you believe my grocery store was out of both fresh and canned?!  So I had to omit this item, but it will totally be added next time)
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds, toasted

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the udon noodles for about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold running water and let cool.

Using a DRY large frying pan, heat the sesame seeds on Medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally.  Remove from pan when they darken and turn fragrant (about 3-5 minutes).  Do not allow to burn!

Whisk to combine the Peanut Sauce, Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sesame Oil, Rice Wine Vinegar, garlic and red chili flakes until well mixed. Combine the cooked noodles, chicken, cucumber, sprouts, carrot, green onions, sugar snap peas and toasted sesame seeds, reserving some of the veggies and sesame seeds for garnish. Pour the Peanut Dressing over the salad. Stir until well coated.

Serve chilled, garnished with the reserved veggies and sesame seeds.

When I first made the recipe, I had added only 1 cup of each of the veggies.  But after eating it, I decide I would like to have more of them mixed in.  So yesterday I added an additional cup of each vegetable.  This totally did the trick and I will make it like this from now on.  The recipe above reflects the additional cup.

This dish is just as great the next day, so don't be afraid of making "too much".  It is awesome as leftovers!  Jess said that her husband Curtis even heated up his second serving and really enjoyed it this way too.  He said it was different, but just as good.  I will have to give it a try warm when I eat another bowl of it today!