Asian Crunchy Noodle Salad w/Peanut Butter Dressing

Asian Crunchy Noodle Salad, a delicious cold salad with crisp snap peas, carrots, peppers and a peanut butter dressing.

A delicious noodle salad with fresh veggies and a fantastic peanut butter dressing. I could drink the dressing! Make Asian Crunchy Noodle Salad for your next picnic or lunch!

 

Ingredients for Asian Crunchy Noodle Salad

• De Cecco Thin Spaghetti – or other good brand
• Black Soy Sauce (also called Sweet Soy Sauce)
• Pea Pods
• Peanuts
• Sesame Oil
• Peanut Butter

Brand of pasta does make a difference, so if you have not tried De Cecco brand, you are missing out. We can usually get De Cecco Thin Spaghetti locally, but if not, trusty Amazon is just a click away.

Pro Tip: Prices for De Cecco Pasta are usually much better on Amazon, so we stock up. Here is the link for De Cecco Thin Spaghetti with better prices than in the store.

 

I’m generally not one for cold pasta salads, but the peanut butter dressing, oh my gosh. I could drink this stuff!! If you love peanut butter, I’ll bet you will love these Air Fryer Peanut Butter Banana Dessert Bites. 

The peanut butter dressing is so good and can be used when stir frying! It would be great to use as a marinade for Bun Thịt Nướng (Vietnamese BBQ Pork Cold Noodle Salad)!

Pro Tip: Make sure the sauce is whisked together very well and that there are no clumps of peanut butter. I recommend the Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk.

 

A cheese grater is fantastic for grating ginger and garlic so you don’t get big mouthfuls of ginger and garlic in the salad.

 

Any type of pasta or semolina noodle is fine to use in this recipe. If using a different shape of pasta or noodle, your cook time may be different.

If using an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, use 4 cups of water and follow the cooking time for This Old Gal’s Pasta Rule of Thumb.

How to Cook Spaghetti in Instant Pot

This Old Gal’s Pasta Rule of Thumb

• Look at package of pasta and find the variable cook time. Choose the lesser time given and then subtract 2 minutes. For example, if your package of pasta says “cook for 8 – 11 minutes,” take that 8 minute number and cut it in half, which is 4. Then subtract 2 minutes from the 4 minutes and you will end up with the proper cook time. In this example the cook time will be 2 minutes.
• After the 2 minute pressure cook time is up, wait 5 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
• If the variable cook time on your package of pasta is 11 – 16 minutes, err on the lesser side. In this instance, the cook time would be 3 minutes. It is better to end up with overly firm pasta rather than mushy because you can continue to cook the pasta, but if it is mushy, there is nothing you can do to correct.
• If the pasta is too firm or al dente for your taste, simply put the lid back on the pot and let the pasta sit in the hot pot. The residual heat will continue to cook the pasta. Check after a few minutes to see if the pasta has reached the perfect firmness for your liking. If not give it a stir and let sit some more.
• After beep sounds, wait 5 minutes and then open the pot.

If you prefer breaking the Spaghetti in half, feel free. 🙂

 

The spaghetti should be cooked al dente. Drain the water from the spaghetti and give it a quick rinse under cool water. I recommend the Salbree Steamer/Strainer Basket.

Pro Tip: Don’t toss out the hot spaghetti water! Use it to blanche the sugar snap peas!

 

For the carrots, a good vegetable peeler can quickly scrape the carrots, so that they are very thin.

All the ingredients will be mixed together in a large mixing bowl.

If you like other vegetables, go a head and add them.

Crunchy Vegetable Options

• Orange Peppers
• Yellow Peppers
• Red Peppers
• Water Chestnuts
• Bean Sprouts
• Baby Corn
• Jicama
• Radish

Pro Tip: Use raw vegetables with a sweet flavor and a nice crunch. Stay away from vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower as they would overpower the salad.

 

Place the Asian Crunchy Noodle Salad into a fancy serving bowl and garnish with cilantro (if you like it) and chopped almonds or peanuts. Serve cold.

More Noodle Recipes to Make

• Instant Pot P.F. Chang’s Garlic Noodles [Copycat]
• Instant Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Sesame Garlic Noodles [w/Asian Flair]
• Thai Pad See Ew (Stir-Fried Noodles)

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
• J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk – a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
• My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
• Salbree Steamer Basket
• 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
• Microplane Artisan Fine Cheese Grater
• Bormioli Rocco Viva Salad Bowl
• Bamboo Salad Hands

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