Authentic Taiwanese cold sesame noodles, ready in 10 minutes! Cool and refreshing, perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Cold Noodles (Liang Mian 涼麵) is a traditional Taiwanese dish that consists of chilled noodles tossed in a tangy, nutty sesame sauce. The dish might have been invented to combat the dreadfully scorching summers in Taiwan — safe to say it successfully cools me down every time. One spot in Taipei called 劉媽媽涼麵 (Liu Mama Noodle) is a local favorite. The spot is also a personal favorite, so I tried to make mine as close to theirs as possible.
Taiwanese Cold Noodles
Course: LunchCuisine: TaiwaneseDifficulty: Easy1
servings10
minutes5
minutesAuthentic Taiwanese Cold Noodles. Chilled noodles tossed in a tangy, nutty sesame sauce. Cool and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Ingredients
150 grams wheat noodles
2 tablespoons Taiwanese sesame paste (see notes for substitutes)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar (or regular sugar)
1 teaspoon black vinegar (or rice vinegar)
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons room temperature water
- Toppings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
thinly sliced cucumbers
Directions
- Make the Cold Noodles. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles and soak in ice water while you prepare the sauce.
- Make the Sauce. Simply whisk together sesame paste (or peanut butter), sesame oil, brown sugar, black vinegar, soy sauce, and water. Note: most people only regard sesame paste as traditional, but actually peanut butter is traditional too. Peanut butter is a popular choice especially in Southern Taiwan.
- To Finish. Drain noodles from the ice bath and toss together with sauce. Top with minced garlic, sesame seeds, and thinly sliced cucumbers. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Taiwanese (or Chinese) sesame paste (芝麻醬) is not the same as tahini. While tahini is made from unroasted & hulled sesame seeds, Taiwanese sesame paste is made from roasted & unhulled sesame seeds. This causes a major difference in flavor-profile. Substitutes for sesame paste: 1) one-to-one ratio of tahini & peanut butter. 2) replace all with peanut butter.