Cold Rice Noodles with Napa Cabbage in Sesame-Peanut Sauce
2 min readYou can make this excellent buffet dish with any thin Asian noodle. Regular green cabbage can be substituted for the Napa variety, if desired.
MAKES 4 MAIN DISH OR 6 TO 8 SIDE DISH SERVINGS
8 ounces flat (stir-fry or linguine-style) rice noodles
4 cups shredded Napa cabbage (about 1⁄2 pound) or green cabbage
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry, sake, or dry white wine
2 tablespoons toasted (dark) sesame oil
1 1⁄2 tablespoons natural-style peanut butter
1 1⁄2 tablespoons sesame paste, preferably the Asian variety
1 tablespoon plain rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon Chinese chili paste, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons Fresh Chili Garlic Sauce, Pickled Chilies, or prepared chopped pickled red chili pepper, to taste (optional)
In a medium stockpot, cook the rice noodles according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, place the cabbage in a colander set in a sink; drain the cooked noodles over the cabbage to wilt it. Rinse under cold running water until cool; drain again.
In a small saucepan, heat the soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, peanut butter, sesame paste, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, chili paste, salt, and pepper over medium-low heat until just warm, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.
Transfer noodle-cabbage mixture to a large serving bowl and add the soy sauce mixture, scallions, half the cilantro, and fresh chili garlic sauce, if using, tossing well to thoroughly coat. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve chilled, or return to room temperature.
{PER SERVING} Calories 371 • Protein 4g • Total Fat 13g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 61g • Dietary Fiber 3g • Sodium 51mg
