The Weeknight Kitchen · Asian

Sesame Noodles

Name: Sesame Noodles
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 340 g spaghetti or lo mein noodles; 80 g tahini; 60 ml soy sauce or tamari; 30 ml rice vinegar; 15 ml sesame oil; 15 ml honey or maple syrup; 2 garlic cloves; 10 g fresh ginger; 60 ml warm water; 3 scallions; Sesame seeds, cucumber slices, chili oil to serve

Cold or room-temp noodles in a tahini-soy sauce — done in 15 minutes, keeps in the fridge.

15 min total

Spoon cost

Time ●○○○○ Anytime

Vegan

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Rinse the noodles in cold water immediately after cooking — it stops the cooking and keeps them from clumping into a solid brick.

Method

Cook's notes

The sauce thickens as it sits — add a splash of water and toss again when serving leftovers.

Cold noodles or room temperature: both are great. This is a good make-ahead lunch.

Keeps 3 days in the fridge — the noodles absorb the sauce over time, so add water to loosen when reheating or eating cold.

Add sliced cucumber, shredded carrots, or edamame for crunch and freshness.

Peanut butter works instead of tahini for a more PB-forward sauce — swap in the same 80 g (¼ cup) of natural creamy peanut butter, and add a little extra warm water since it is thicker.

Easier, if you like

Use store-bought sesame noodle sauce (Sun Luck or Dynasty brand, in the Asian foods aisle, ~$3) — still add a squeeze of fresh lime and a drizzle of sesame oil.

Vegan as written; easy GF swap

Gluten-free: rice noodles in place of spaghetti; tamari in place of soy sauce.

Vegan: maple syrup in place of honey (already vegan otherwise).

No tahini: peanut butter works in the same amount, 80 g (¼ cup) — slightly different flavor, equally good; loosen with an extra splash of warm water.