It’s no longer a secret that Andi can’t get enough of Chinese Szechuan cuisine. In the height of summer, however, even he loses his appetite for his much-loved dan dan noodles or a big bowl of mapo tofu.
But luckily, there is also a delightful summer street food classic in the Sichuan province: cold Sichuan noodles. The noodles are served with a spicy sauce and usually with cucumber strips and spring onions. Blanched mung bean sprouts or carrot strips are also often found in the dish.
Ultimately, you can use anything your heart desires as ingredients. We give you the recipe for the basic version with cucumber and spring onions. You can change it as you like. Radishes instead of spring onions and kohlrabi strips instead of cucumber? Why not!
You don’t have to make the chilli oil yourself. Well-stocked Asian shops sell jars with the label “Crispy Chilli Oil” or “Crispy Chilli in Oil”. These are very suitable for all Sichuan dishes. After the first or second extraction, pour neutral vegetable oil into the jar and stir well so that you are not left with a dry mass of crispy chilli flakes in the end.
Cold Sichuan Noodles with Cucumber (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 250 g Chinese wheat noodles
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cucumber, equals about 175 g
- 1 spring onion, green part only
- 1 tbsp peanuts, toasted
Sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsp sichuan chili oil **
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar**, alternatively balsamic or rice vinegar
- 50 ml water
Preparation
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse well with cold water and mix in a bowl with the sesame oil.
- For the sauce, crush or finely chop the garlic and mix with the remaining ingredients to a smooth sauce.
- Cut the cucumber into fine strips. Cut the green part of the spring onion into fine rings. Crush the roasted peanuts in a mortar or finely chop.
- Serve the noodles sprinkled with the sauce, cucumber strips, spring onion rings and peanuts.
Song of the recipe:
Probably the most quoted song (in Germany) in the increasingly hot summers of the climate crisis.
(Would you like to listen to all the songs for the recipe? Find them collected in one playlist here)
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