Chinese Noodle Salad

Secret Restaurant Salad Dressing!

Real Restaurant Salad Recipe

This is a really delicious Chinese Noodle Salad and it is made special by a secret restaurant salad dressing recipe. The hardest part of the recipe is getting all the ingredients together. The ingredients are available from most grocery stores.

The dressing really is what makes this salad recipe work so well. From young to old, everyone seems to love this Chinese Noodle Salad.

I often prepare this one for summer get to gathers at home and for a summer change-of-pace at the restaurant.

The recipe is flexible in substituting or adding whatever vegetables you might like and it goes well with so many other dishes.

Chinese Noodle Salad

Flexible, Delicious Restaurant Salad

Real Restaurant Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 35 minutes. Serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

1 pound of linguine noodles
2 tablespoons sesame oil (light colored sesame oil made from un-toasted sesame seeds)
2 bunches green onions, sliced on the bias (save 2 tablespoons for garnish)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 jalapeno chilies, seeded, deveined and minced
10 ounces of snow peas, stringed and thinly sliced lengthwise
Napa cabbage leaves for lining serving bowl
2 carrots, shredded (soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained well) for garnish
1/2 cup chopped, roasted peanuts for garnish

Ingredients For dressing:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup Oriental (dark) sesame oil (see note below)

Instructions for salad:

Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite (al dente')
Drain and rinse with cold water to cool the noodles and stop them from cooking more - drain well
Transfer the linguine to a large bowl and add light sesame oil, tossing to combine
Mix in onions, cilantro and jalapeno chilies
Cook snow peas in a sauce pan of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender (about one minute)
Drain and rinse the snow peas with cold water to cool and drain them well
Mix the peas into the salad mixture

Instructions for dressing:

Combine soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, dark sesame oil and sugar in a food processor, blending until smooth
Pour just enough dressing over the salad to moisten well and mix with your hands to blend

To serve:

Line a large platter or bowl with the Napa cabbage leaves and mound the salad over those leaves
Garnish with shredded carrots, green onion and peanuts and Enjoy!