This Taiwanese cold sesame noodle recipe is a classic with a capital C. You can find them anywhere from local wet markets (菜市場) to traditional beef noodle shops and modern restaurants. The base will always be the same — rich, garlic saucy sesame served over chewy noodles and chilled julienned vegetables. I find myself craving this when the weather starts to warm up. Also, when I have an abundance of salad vegetables lying around.

Taiwanese Cold Sesame Noodles

Serves 4-5, recipe adapted from CarolEasyLife

Ingredients

Sesame sauce

4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste*
4 tbsp hot water
2 tsp soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp black vinegar (sub rice or apple cider vinegar)
1.5 tbsp sugar

Toppings & Noodles

1/2 carrot, peeled
1 cucumber
3 eggs
1 package of bean sprouts

1 package egg noodles (or noodle of choice)

Instructions

Sesame Sauce

Using a heat proof jar or container, add the sesame paste and hot water. Stir or shake vigorously to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Toppings & Noodles

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add a pinch of salt.
Over a medium-sized pan, add oil and fry the eggs into a thin crepe. Let cool and slice into thin shreds.
Wash the bean sprouts and boil for 10 seconds. Drain the water and set it aside to cool.
Julienne the cucumber and carrot into thin matchsticks.
Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Add sesame oil or rinse with cold water to prevent them from sticking.
To assemble — arrange the noodles at the bottom and add the toppings and sauce. Serve immediately.

Cooking notes:

The toppings are super flexible, use any salad vegetable you have. Traditionally, this dish is served with shredded chicken.
You can prep the sauce and toppings ahead and store in containers before serving
Chinese sesame paste is made from toasted white sesame seeds, not to be confused with tahini.
If you don’t have Chinese sesame paste, substitute peanut butter or any nut butter though it will affect the taste.

I came across this idea on @iamafoodblog’s post and cannot look at these photos without feeling overwhelming happy on the inside. These Totoro’s were eaten with most reluctance and they were a ton of fun to make. If you’re hosting, it’s a great way to entertain your guests by handing them a pair of scissors, a nori sheet, a slab of mozzarella cheese and setting them to work.

I love the simplicity of Japanese recipes made with few but good ingredients. These soba noodles take less than six ingredients to put together but are so satisfying and light. Paired with ramen egg — it’s going to be a repeat meal in my kitchen.

Totoro Soba Noodles

You will need:

Noodles/Totoro Body:
Buckwheat soba noodles
White somen noodles
Sliced mozzarella cheese (for eyes)
Nori sheet

Dashi sauce:
Green onions, sliced
Dashi powder 1 tbsp ( i use Hondashi, found in T&T)
Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Water 1/4 cup
Mirin, 1 tsp
Sesame oil, to taste

1. Prep the Totoro eyes, nose, whiskers.

2. Cook noodles. Follow cooking instructions on the package or here.

Somen: Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Throw in a bundle of noodles, stir and set the timer for 3 minutes. Taste test them for doneness. Drain hot water with a strainer and rinse repeatedly under cold water until the water runs clear. This will prevent your noodles from sticking together.

Buckwheat soba: Same instructions as somen but set the timer for 6 minutes.

3. Combine and stir dashi powder, soy sauce, water and mirin in a bowl. Taste for flavour. The sauce should be very salty.

4. Form Totoro body with buckwheat noodles, using white somen for the abdomen, cheese for eyes and nori to top.

5. To serve: drizzle dashi sauce over noodles. Add a sprinkle of sesame oil, sesame seeds. Garnish with green onions. Serve with a ramen egg if you have one on hand. Enjoy.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, here is an old recipe for Totoro Rice cakes.