Spicy Thai Noodle Salad

A few weeks ago I was tagged to write the copy for a brand new spice set being sold on Spices.Inc. Did you have a chance to read what I said? I was very honored to have been chosen and super excited to see my words up on this excellent site. I called my spice set “College Kids Need Spices Too.” One of the spices I chose was dried cilantro. Please check it out right here, and if so inclined, make a purchase - no money comes back to me, it's just for fun. 

Now, I usually use fresh cilantro in my cooking; in fact, it’s one of my favorite flavors, but I decided to include the dried variety of cilantro in the set, because college kids (I have two at the moment) don’t really use fresh herbs. It’s not practical for their lifestyle. Can you picture a refrigerator in a college apartment filled with fresh herbs? No. I didn’t think so.

When I saw this recipe on The Weekend Gourmet, I knew I wanted to make it – and a big plus for me – it calls for dried cilantro! It packs a punch, so if you like lots of flavor, this salad is for you. Below you will find my version of this winner.

Here’s what you need:

2 packages of Ramen noodles without the spice pack, of course

¾ C smooth peanut butter

1/3 C soy sauce

3 T rice vinegar

1 T freshly grated ginger (I keep mine in the freezer so it’s always on hand. You can actually grate it while it’s frozen – simple)

1 T Sriracha hot sauce (I love this stuff….other hot sauce would work too. This one is hot, so add it to taste.)

1 t honey

1/3 C starchy pasta water – or more

1 t dried cilantro (or more!)

2 t sesame oil – to drizzle over the pasta before adding the dressing

Sliced cucumber

Sliced carrot

Green onions

Sesame seeds for garnish

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the pasta, saving some of the water. Drain, cool, and flavor with the 2 t sesame oil.

Prepare the dressing, whisking everything to a beautiful consistency. I find this type of dressing to become very thick, so be sure to keep lots of pasta water in case you want to thin it out even more.

Slice the veggies and mix everything together. Garnish the salad with sesame seeds. It’s best to dress this salad immediately before serving.