• 1 lb. noodles, fresh or frozen (if you use 1 lb. dried noodles such as linguine (like I did) you will need extra sauce or cut back on the noodle amount)
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil, plus a splash or two
• 3-1/2 tbsp. soy sauce (I used reduced low-sodium Shoyu sauce)
• 2 tbsp. Chinese rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Chinese sesame paste (see Note 1)
• 1 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp. finely grated ginger (I minced it on a grater)
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chili oil to taste
• half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin slivers
• peanuts, roasted and chopped
• other veggies as desired such as green onion (I added) and red pepper slivers
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Cook the noodles in a large saucepan according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash or two of sesame oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce (shoyu), rice vinegar, sesame paste (see Note 1), peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste.

If serving right away toss the sauce with the noodles. If not refrigerate and toss the noodles with sesame oil and refrigerate until serving; then add the sauce and your garnishes.

Note 1:  I did not have sesame paste so I followed Sam’s advice and used tahini with a little bit of toasted sesame oil to compensate for the flavor and peanut butter to keep the sauce emulsified. 

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com