Cold Sesame Noodles

One of my favorite lunches when I lived in Beijing was a dish called Liang Pi, or with the farmer Beijing accent, Liang P’yarr. It is a dish of cold noodles tossed in MaJiang, or the Chinese style sesame sauce. The noodles are paired with shredded cucumber and tofu, and usually a chili paste. I would get a big bowl of these cold noodles for takeaway (sometimes two or three) a couple times a week. These cold sesame noodles are in no way 100% authentic, but it is a good substitute if you don’t live in China. Chop suey isn’t authentic Chinese food either, people still order it all the time.

The noodle choice in this recipe isn’t terribly important. I used long, flat, wheat noodles, but you could use rice noodles (string or the tapeworm looking ones), buckwheat noodles, or even some egg based Italian pasta. What’s most important is that they are actually noodles. Although…maybe some bowties or penne would be good here too.

For the sesame sauce I use the same recipe for my Asian Sesame Sauce, which also works well as a salad dressing, or a marinade for meat. This is a great multi-purpose sauce which doesn’t last very long in my house since it is so versatile.

Asian Sesame Sauce Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Tahini
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise. I know it sounds weird, but trust me it adds a great creaminess to the sauce. You can use store bought or homemade.
• 1 tbsp Ponzu
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar as a substitute, although it does change the flavor slightly.
• 1 tsp Fish Sauce
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds. More or less, adjust for preferred texture. You can also leave this ingredient out if you want the dressing to be 100% smooth.

I know you probably see mayonnaise and think…wow, this is really inauthentic. However mayo is quite popular in modern Japanese and Korean cooking, and mixed in with sesame paste makes it extra creamy and smooth. You can actually make a homemade version of Japanese mayonnaise to use if you like!

What’s The Deal With Cold Noodles?

So I prefer to eat these as cold noodles since the flavors are stronger. Of course, if you are hungry you can eat them hot. After boiling and draining the pasta I immediately pour in two beaten eggs and let them cook with the residual heat of the noodles. This coats the noodles and brings a richer flavor to the finished dish. Make sure to toss and stir your noodles so the egg goes everywhere and doesn’t just scramble in the pan.

Right now the noodles are still warm, but it’s okay to add all the rest of the ingredients. I add in about two tablespoons of the sesame sauce, a couple chopped red chilies, half a chopped onion, and a peeled cucumber. That means I simply took a vegetable peeler to scrape off thin sheets of cucumber and added them right into the pan. It adds a great freshness to the finished cold sesame noodles. By now the dish is almost room temperature, so I pour all the contents to a take-out container and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Cold Sesame Noodles Cooking Notes

If you want to eat this dish hot, add the sauce and rest of the ingredients to the warm pan and then add in the noodles. This ensures all the ingredients are up to temperature and will not cool down the noodles too much. Or you can nuke the dish for a minute in the microwave.

For this dish you don’t want to cook your noodles al dente. This isn’t an Italian style dish, so you want soft Asian style cooked noodles. Plus, cold al dente is never very good.

I didn’t add tofu or broccoli, both of which are included in a traditional Liang Pi, but you could absolutely add them here. And instead of freshly chopped chilies you can go for a Sichuan chili paste (I just personally don’t believe Sichuan peppercorns have a place in any cooking).

Cold Sesame Noodles

While Liang Pi was one of my go to lunches when I lived in Beijing, these cold sesame noodles are my riff on the authentic. Tossed in my sesame sauce these easy noodles make a great lunch (and leftovers)

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Fusion

Servings 4 people

Calories 365 kcal

Equipment

• Pan

Ingredients

  

Cold Sesame Noodles

• 300 grams Noodles long and flat ones work best
• 2 Eggs beaten
• 2 Red Chili Peppers thinly sliced
• 1 small Cucumber thin sheets made using a veggie peeler
• 1/2 Onion chopped
• 2 tbsp Asian Sesame Sauce homemade

Asian Sesame Sauce

• 4 tbsp Tahini
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise. I know it sounds weird but trust me it adds a great creaminess to the sauce.
• 1 tbsp Ponzu
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar as a substitute although it does change the flavor slightly.
• 1 tsp Fish Sauce
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds. More or less adjust for preferred texture. You can also leave this ingredient out if you want the dressing to be 100% smooth.

Instructions

 

• Set a pan of boiling water with a little bit of salt. Add the noodles and let boil until soft. During this time you can make the Asian Sesame Sauce. Just whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.
• Drain the noodles and leave them in the warm pan. Pour in the two beaten eggs and quickly toss/stir the pan until the eggs are cooked and coating all the noodles.
• Add the Asian Sesame Sauce along with the chili and onion and cucumber sheets. Toss the noodles until everything is well combined and coated.
• Move to a resealable container and place in the fridge for 20 minutes (or eat them hot).

Keyword Chinese Cold Noodles, Cold Sesame Noodles, Easy Noodle Recipes, Liang Pi