Cold Dishes / American Chinese Recipe

Sesame Cold Noodles

Sesame cold noodles and noodles with peanut butter are chilled noodles dressed with sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and chile oil.

Recipe at a glance

PurposeHigh-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish
Cuisine or formatCold Dishes / American Chinese
Menu variation ruleProtein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz wheat noodles
  • 2 tablespoons sesame paste or tahini
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter, optional
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon black vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chile oil, optional
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Cucumber shreds
  • Scallions

Method

  1. Cook noodles and rinse until cool.
  2. Whisk sesame paste, peanut butter if using, soy sauce, vinegar, chile oil, sugar, and sesame oil.
  3. Thin sauce with warm water until pourable.
  4. Toss noodles with sauce.
  5. Top with cucumber and scallions.
  6. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Menu-literacy notes

  • Noodle with peanut butter and sesame cold noodle are the same menu family.
  • Contains wheat, sesame, and often peanut.
  • The sauce should be creamy but not gluey.

Variations and substitutions

  • For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
  • For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.

Related guides